A Shift in the Force
by shinigamigirl196
Summary: Sabé Amidala was just your typical Jedi Knight, except that she was a bit...unorthodox. There were many things within the Code that she didn't approve of, and that gave her no allies in the Council, but they had to admit that she was a startlingly good peacemaker, even if she was a bit bold and sometimes reckless. Too bad that was the way her family was. Sabé x Obi-Wan
1. Crash Landing

**Disclaimer: George Lucas owns Star Wars**

**A Shift in the Force: Chapter One: Crash Landing**

**AN: I'm not quite sure if this is going to be a thing, but I'm going to make an honest attempt at a Star Wars fanfic. This is a Sobiwan (Sabé x Obi-Wan), if you are confused by the pairing, in which Sabé is a Jedi. This is the story of her ups and downs, lefts and rights. My friends all told me "No, don't do it, you have enough fanfics to write," but I couldn't help myself! I'm not sure if this has ever been attempted before, but I figured that I would give it a go, so here it is! Enjoy!**

* * *

Jedi Master Plo Koon lifted the infant gently from her cradle. She was no more than five months old with a small tuft of brown hair sticking straight up on her head.

"What is her name?" the Jedi Master asked of the girl's father, unable to drag his eyes away from her brown ones which had fluttered open, fastening on his. Younglings were true things of beauty, weren't they?

"Sabé Naberrie," her mother, Jobal, said quietly, smiling softly at her first born. "We knew she was special, but we weren't expecting this. Our little miracle."

All parents thought their children were special, Plo Koon had gathered, but this time they were right. He had tested her blood and her midi-chlorian count was over eighteen thousand, higher even than Grandmaster Yoda's.

There were only two prophecies ever recorded in the Holocrons of the Jedi Temple: the Chosen One and the Great Guide. Very little was known about either of them, but very few knew about the Great Guide as opposed to Chosen One which was practically a legend, growing with each retelling. The Great Guide was just that, a guide, one who was firmly entrenched in the Light of the Force and born under a waning crescent moon (called the Princess Crescent on Naboo).

Sabé raised a small hand to slap lightly against his mask which protected him from the oxygen-rich atmosphere that made up a good portion of Naboo, not including the Gungan habitat beneath Lake Paonga. Her mouth was smiling and her eyes dancing.

Plo Koon shifted his goggle-covered eyes to the anxious mother who knew of her loss of the child he was holding would occur in a matter of minutes. "You called her a miracle," he said finally, "why is that?"

She blinked, her eyes slightly startled. "Oh…Ruwee and I were attacked a few years before Sabé was born. I was told that I could never conceive, but then," she blinked the tears away hastily, "then Sabé happened."

Miracle indeed.

"You understand that she will be leaving with me, don't you?" he asked her as gently as he could, hoping that he didn't sound too…detached. He was no Mace Windu; durasteel had more emotion than that man.

"We do," a voice gruffer than he would have anticipated spoke from the doorway as Ruwee Naberrie, Governor of Theed entered the room, "and we understand that a life as a Jedi could possibly be one that she thrives in."

Plo Koon could see that he believed in his words, but he could also see the sorrow that lined his face. This child was his first child, his miracle child, and here she was being taken away by a Kel Dor with promises of grandeur, but that was the same story that all parents of Force-sensitive children were told.

"She could become a target with the last name Naberrie," he continued sadly, "I have many enemies. Tell the Jedi that her name is Sabé Amidala of Naboo."

Plo Koon gave the pair a courteous bow and gave them a few moments to bid their daughter farewell and the only comfort that Plo Koon could give was that their daughter would be well looked after. He did not mention the possibility of her not being chosen as a padawan learner by the age of thirteen and thus being sent off to the Agri-Crops; there was no need to worry them of possibilities that were not for certain.

Though he did doubt she would ever find a home in the Agri-Corps; Sabé Amidala's destiny was written in the stars.

* * *

Sabé Amidala, Knight of the Jedi, stood before the council of her superiors with only her new apprentice by her side. Talik Shala is gifted in the Force, perhaps not as much as she is, but it is enough that she has gained recognition for her skills much like Sabé did when she was just an Initiate. Padawans being only ten when they were chosen by a master was not unheard of, though it was a bit rare; masters tended to wait until the last minute, to the dismay of the Initiates. She glanced down to Talik. She was a Twi'lek, much like her close friend Aayla Secura, only her skin was a soft lavender where as Aayla's was a lovely blue hue.

Talik felt her eyes, but didn't glance up, sending a wave of uncertainty through the Force Bond that all padawans and masters shared. Sabé sent back assurance in its place before shifting her eyes to the council once more.

Her old master, Yoda, watched her carefully. Sabé had blossomed as a Jedi, and had since the moment he set eyes on her. Her dark brown hair was, as it had always been, plaited into a multitude of braids. Her robes were a much darker shade of brown than Jedi typically wore, and her clothes had shifted towards darker sheens, with the black boots, lighter brown pants into which they were tucked, with a dark shirt (billowing sleeves and all) under a leather jerkin, her twin lightsabers hanging from her belt.

The black glove hid her metallic arm from the stares but everyone stared anyways, as they always did since she had received the injury.

"Masters," she said in her serene voice, giving a low bow only to Yoda, as he was both her master and the Grandmaster.

"A mission for you and your apprentice, we have," her old master said in his aged voice. "Rested from your injuries, are you?"

Talik flinched at her side. Shame flooded her face as it should; the injuries Sabé had sustained were her fault.

"I am, Master."

"A dispute has arisen on your home planet, Naboo," Master Mace Windu said from beside Yoda, causing her soft brown orbs to flicker to him. "The Trade Federation has begun to orbit Naboo and have refused each time when they were ordered to leave by Queen Amidala herself."

Talik's eyes widened as she stared at her master. Amidala was her name! She was related to a queen?

"We would like you to go down and speak to Queen Amidala and then to the Trade Federation and see if you can't convince them to enter into an agreement."

Sabé bowed lowly to the council. "We shall see it done, my masters." Talik followed her example before they left the masters to their next business.

"Are you really related to a queen?" Talik asked in awe, skipping slightly to keep up with her master's pace.

"Yes," Sabé said. "My younger sister is the elected queen of Naboo." Melancholy filled Sabé as she thought of young Padmé whom she had seen little recently and what little she had seen had come from the HoloNet with the white and red face paint lathered so thickly to her skin that she couldn't even be sure that it had been Padmé in the first place.

"Do you miss your family?" Talik asked innocently.

Sabé blinked in surprise. That was not a question that she had been expecting. "Of course." She did not elaborate and Talik did not press.

"Heading out already?"

Sabé spared him a glance as he came to walk beside her, making Talik stare. Sabé's lips twitched lightly at her old friend's appearance.

"Obi-Wan Kenobi," she hummed his name slightly, rolling the words over her tongue, "I don't suppose you have anything better to do?"

He grinned, making her traitorous heart flutter. Attachment was forbidden, she knew, which was why she had buried her affection for the young Jedi padawan, buried it in a deep and dark place where no one would find it. And she was content to be his friend, just as she was content to be the friends of Aayla and Kit (not that she had any romantic feelings towards them). "Not really," he said, his hazel eyes lighting up. "Heard you tried to skive out of the medical ward, though."

A pale flush dusted her cheeks. "Oh, shut up, Obi-Wan," she muttered out of the corner of her mouth, her shoulders hunching slightly as she sped up her walk.

His grin widened and Talik giggled as they increased their speed to meet hers. This was one of the great things about having Sabé Amidala as a master; she wasn't old or stuffy or too much about the Code. She was…refreshing.

"Can you tell Aayla and Kit that we're going to have to postpone our little sparring match?" she inquired of him. "Talik and I are being sent to Naboo to settle a dispute between the Naboo and the Trade Federation."

Obi-Wan arched a red-brown eyebrow in surprise at his friend's home planet. "Naboo?" he said in surprise. "Are they sure?"

Sabé cast him a glance that could have been easily interpreted as affronted. "I can handle it, Obi-Wan."

If he had any other reservations, he didn't mention it, simply giving her shoulder a squeeze, conveying calm understanding. "May the Force be with you."

She smiled genuinely. "When is it ever not?"

They shared a secretive smile that Talik couldn't interpret, but before Talik could speak up, Obi-Wan had left, following after his master who had called out to him.

"Arthree," she spoke into her comlink to her astromech. Arthree was one of the first prototypes of the R3 series, but it had been slightly more advanced than the R2 series, and had more than a little technical problems that had caused him to be cast aside. Sabé had rescued him from a junkyard on Coruscant and after a considerable amount of time on him, had managed to work him into being a great astromech that was shared between her and a few of her friends (they were threatened on pain of death to never bring him back looking remotely anything less than the condition that he had left in). "Arthree, we're going to need a small cargo craft."

The astromech beeped an affirmative.

"Master?" Talik queried. "What happens if the Trade Federation doesn't listen to the Naboo?"

Sabé frowned slightly. "Then we may have a problem on our hands, my very young apprentice."

"Will your sister be in a lot of trouble?"

Her frown deepened. "Padmé is doing what is right for her people. No one can fault her for that."

Talik could sense the pride she felt for her sister leak through their bond and the regret. _She should have been there_. She frowned slightly, but she didn't comment on it; she doubted that her master would appreciate it.

Sabé Amidala was a Jedi who was under constant scrutiny by the Council, both due to her relation to the former Governor of Theed, her father, as well as her relation to the former Princess of Theed and now Queen of Naboo, but there was also the fact that Sabé had over eighteen thousand midi-chlorians, beating out Grandmaster Yoda by a couple hundred.

She didn't need the scrutiny of her own apprentice as well.

So Talik kept her mouth firmly shut.

* * *

Captain Panaka of the Royal Naboo Security Forces had waited with bated breath as the ship on which two Jedi were captaining under the disguise of food traders passed through the blockade with little resistance. The queen's elder sister was on that ship, he knew, and he had hoped for her sake that she was not blasted out of the sky, which she wasn't. He exhaled in relief when the vessel touched down in the hanger and the ramp extended, allowing two pairs of legs to descend.

His eyes were first drawn to the youngest, because she was the one he saw first. She was a young twi'lek with her skin being a rare shade of purple and with bright curious eyes. She was dressed modestly, as most Jedi were, and her slim lightsaber dangled from her belt.

But the second one automatically drew his eyes. She had a nearly identical beauty to that of the Queen's, with that same dainty, rosy quality, but he could tell they were very different. Her hair, unlike the queen's was in a multitude of braids secured with a variety of pins, and while the queen's face was always set in a serious mask, hers was one of serenity. Though they both gave off the same aura of confidence, he could see that it would be easy to mistake one for the other, even with the ten year age gap. She would have been the perfect decoy queen, he lamented.

"Milady," he said with a bow as the pair approached.

A pale flush adorned her cheeks at the title and she shifted slightly from one foot to the next. Being referred to as such always embarrassed her. "I am no lady," she disagreed, "please don't refer to me as such."

"As you wish," he said agreeably. Apparently she was modest as well.

"I am Jedi Knight Sabé Amidala," she introduced herself before gesturing to the young girl beside her, "this is my padawan learner, Talik Shala. I understand that your queen awaits us?"

"Yes, ma'am," he said, marveling at how diplomatic she sounded (nearly identical to Padmé, he couldn't help but note), "please follow me."

Meanwhile, in the throne room Padmé Amidala sat tense and impatient in her throne. It was strange to be queen, but she had worked so hard to get there that she would not be denied, even by the Trade Federation. Padmé had grown up inspired by her eldest sister (Sola did not approve of her ambitions towards politics or the life that Sabé lived) who served the Republic as a peacekeeper. The Jedi brought inspiration whether they intended to or not, and her sister was no exception.

She had scarcely seen her since she was a child when she had returned to her mother and father's home for their protection from a foe that Padmé didn't understand at the time. She knew from the HoloNet that she had been involved with Ryloth recently concerning the lylek that nearly overran one of the villages in the Bright Lands (and the HoloNet had only been involved because the son of a high ranking official of Ryloth had been mauled to death before Sabé had been given the assignment, leading to a lot of press), but most of what she knew of her sister was scarce. Still, she hoped that she knew enough of the HoloNet to know that she was queen; she secretly hoped that Sabé would be proud of her.

Her incessant tapping of her nail against the armrest of her chair when Captain Panaka entered once more, bowing lowly.

"Your Majesty, may I introduce Jedi Knight Sabé Amidala and her apprentice, Talik Shala."

And then he stepped aside and allowed the silent pair to enter.

Sabé was…a Nabooan beauty, much like it was said that Padmé was. In fact, she could see a number of features that Sabé and she shared, but Sabé was calmer, much calmer. She couldn't help but wonder how she could be when she dealt with such violence in her life. Violence…strange to think of the Republic's Peacekeepers as facing violence, but one couldn't deny the truth behind it.

"Milady," Sabé bowed, her Curoscanti-tinged Naboo accent light, like her smile. She reminded Padmé of stars so very far away, beautiful from afar but unapproachable and remote. In that instant she considered that her sister was queenlier than she was. "An honor to be in your presence, it is." She and her apprentice bowed lowly with respect.

Sometimes, much to Sabé's eternal embarrassment, she found herself using Yoda's speech patterns; it was prolonged exposure, she told herself.

Padmé stood up slowly so as not to offset the enormous headdress that rest on her head as she made her way down from the throne to stand before her. Emotion welled inside her as Sabé took one of her trembling hands in both of hers, a gentle smile on her lips as she squeezed Padmé's palm gingerly.

"Hello, little sister," she said quietly, her voice soft, just like her mother's when she was being careful of what she said, "you've grown up well."

Padmé wanted to burst into tears of relief and joy at the words, so she hardly noticed when Captain Panaka motioned for her handmaidens to leave her side, including the protesting Governor Bibble.

Sabé sighed softly, raising a hand to cup Padmé's chin softly enough that she did not smudge the dried face paint. "Ah…I see you take after me…how unfortunate."

The purple twi'lek by her side cracked a smile at her words and Padmé herself couldn't help but allow the laughter to bubble from her white and red lips.

"First joke you've made since we left Coruscant," the twi'lek mumbled, her lips twitching.

Sabé gave a forlorn sigh, releasing her sister to give her companion a stare. "My dear, young padawan, one would think that you didn't appreciate me as a master."

"Oh, no, I do!" she said quickly, her eyes wide and slightly horrified. "You're the best, Master!"

Sabé's smile widened before it disappeared as her attention turned once more to her sister. "So tell me of your problems with the Trade Federation, I do long to know the cause of dissent."

And so Padmé opened her mouth and began to speak, telling her elder sister of all that had transpired in the past few weeks that had forced her to request the assistance of the Jedi.

Sabé's lovely face was marred by the frown that curved her lips downward and furrowed her eyebrows. Now she looked a bit like Sola.

"This is peculiar," she said finally, cupping her chin in her hand, "the Trade Federation already has a monopoly over the trade routes, so it is curious as to why they have taken an interest in Naboo in particular." She glanced down to meet Padmé's eyes. "Either way, it doesn't bode well for you or your people."

"I have given a decree for them to leave Naboo-space," Padmé said in her regal accent, her fingers twitching slightly in anxiety, "but they refuse to leave, and we have no military to speak of."

"And that would make you an easy target," Sabé agreed, her lips twisting slightly, reminding Padmé that this was her home-planet as well as hers. It was so easy to forget you were related to a Jedi when you didn't grow up seeing them every day as she had with Sola.

"We will leave immediately for the Trade Federation outpost," Sabé decided finally after a very long moment of intense thinking that had Padmé a little concerned, even if young Talik wasn't. "This must be dealt with swiftly and diplomatically."

She gave her sister another low bow and left the way she came, with her apprentice closely following her back onto the ship, not knowing that someone was already plotting her demise for the second time…

Darth Sidious hid his clenched teeth under his low hood so that even his holo image wouldn't betray his irritation. Still the girl eluded him! His efforts did seem to be in vain regarding the young Jedi Knight. Where he failed in recruiting her, he certainly didn't make up for with assassination attempts.

Sadly, her being highly in tune with the Force weighed against her, and the only success that he had actually made was in a full frontal attack several years previously by his Zebrak apprentice, Darth Maul, with had resulted in her amputation of her arm.

The Great Guide? What folly had the creator of that prophecy been speaking of? She was no guide! She was just a child (in his eyes) with a high midi-chlorian count and a superior connection to the Force; her sword skills were mediocre at best. She would perish easily if he fought against her, that he knew for certain.

"The cargo ship that will be disembarking from Naboo," he said in a voice that had been altered slightly to maintain his anonymity and keep his secret life secret, "shoot it down. It holds two Jedi, one of which will attempt to discover your reasoning behind the blockade. You must not allow that to happen." He layered his voice with Force Compulsion as he spoke to the head of the Trade Federation, a Neimoidian by the name of Viceroy Nute Gunray.

"It shall be done, my lord," he promised as the holo clicked out and he ordered to one of his men. "Fire on that cargo freighter!"

"Tali!" Talik barely heard her Master's yell as their vessel swerved to avoid the onslaught of enemy fire, but Sabé and Talik were far more used to piloting slimmer, faster freighters, and its bulkiness led to their downfall (quite literally) as one of the bolts clipped their right wing, sending them into a downwards spiral.

Talik could hardly feel anything but her own fear (she could hear Master Yoda's voice in her head chiding her that fear was the path to the Dark Side, a lesson that she knew her master had learned the hard way) and her bond with her master.

"Tali, hold on!" Sabé yelled, trying to stabilize the engines but failing horribly as the swamp-land came closer and closer to impact before she unbuckled herself to throw her body protectively over her apprentice's as the ship finally made contact with the ground and it exploded around them, sending them into a world of blackness and numbness.

Sabé's last act had been to expand the Force around her like a bubble in an effort to absorb most of the impact, but she couldn't be certain whether or not it worked at all, because the force of the explosion had expelled her and Talik through the window of the cockpit.

She had no way of knowing that that single act of survival could have changed the very course of history.

**AN: So, I might be updating this fanfic sparingly…it seems like it's going to be one of the longer ones…great. Obviously, Looking Beyond and Daughter of Rome are the major ones that I'm concerned with, but since I got obsessed (and when I say obsessed, I mean reobsessed) with Obi-Wan, I really felt the need to write this. And if you guys haven't read the Sobiwan fic Fair Maiden, Shining Knight by Sweet Christabel, you should. It's amazing! Anyways,****let me know what you think of it!**

**PS: Can you figure out where Anakin gets his inspiration for his uniform? ;) I just thought it would be a good thing for Sabé to wear that wasn't as feminized as what Aayla Secura wears, but wasn't as bland as what Siri Tachi and Obi-Wan wear.**


	2. Memories of the Past

**Disclaimer: George Lucas owns Star Wars**

**A Shift in the Force: Chapter Two: Memories of the Past**

**AN: And here's the second chapter of A Shift in the Force! I really, really should be finishing my paper, but I'm kind of obsessed, but don't worry, I'll have the paper done by tonight! The reason I've got this next chapter out so soon is because I had already written a bit of this beforehand, like years beforehand, so I figured to my few reviewers, favoriters, and followers, you might like this! This chapter is mostly filled with flashbacks, so you have my apologies, but there's some of Sabé's background that needs to be established. There will only be a little bit more of flashbacks after this chapter, at least, that's how I'm planning it. Anyways, enjoy!**

* * *

Awareness came slowly to Talik Shala, and when it did come, it was closely followed by pain. Granted, she had to admit, it would have been worse if her master had not shielded her. Though worry now gripped her as she forced her aching body up into a sitting position, glancing around her.

"_Assess yourself, padawan,"_ her master chiding her gently in her memory much to her chagrin.

Talik forced herself to calm down and checked herself for injuries. She had a sprained wrist, but no broken bones with varying cuts and enough bruises that she was glad she wasn't as pale as her master or they would have been more obvious.

The trade ship had been ripped apart by the explosion and she could still see a good bit of it fifty feet away. Where was-

Beep!

She gave a startled gasp as her master's precious R3 unit made himself known. "Arthree!" She rushed over to assist the astromech in freeing himself from the swamp lands. "Oh, Arthree…" He was missing a little bit of his plating and he was a little burned, but the R3 unit had made a miraculous survival. Well, miraculous, unless one considered just how fond Sabé was of the astromech and how willing she would be to throw herself between it and attack just as she would with any of her friends.

Arthree gave a doleful beep. Talik couldn't translate the sounds as well as Sabé could, but she could garner his meaning.

"I'm sure Master is fine," she assured the astromech –and she was quite certain that it was a bit more than machine, because it seemed to have a deep affection for its master-, but she wasn't sure if her voice was very convincing. "Come on, let's go search for her."

Without the use of the Force, it would have been much more difficult, but Talik was more than capable of using it to locate her under a large mass of metal. But locating her was not the problem; it was moving the metal itself. Talik almost burst into tears at the size of the durasteel crushing her master. No way was she going to be able to move that! Master would've been able to do it, she thought miserably, but not her.

But then her master's voice came to her once more. "One must not give up without first making an attempt," she had warned. "For that is true weakness of heart and of mind."

So Talik extended a hand before her and closed her eyes, drawing on the Force as her source of power. The strain was enormous and Talik felt as though a weight was pressing down on her arms, making them shake and tremble and cause a bead of sweat to form on her brow. The steel groaned as it was lifted slowly, but enough for her to see her master's form beneath it. Arthree wheeled forward, shooting out a wire that wrapped around her pale wrist before he wheeled backwards, dragging her out from under the wreckage.

"Master!" Talik cried as soon as the young woman was no longer in any danger, dropping the bit of the ship quickly to kneel at her master's side. "Oh, Master…"

But Sabé could have been dead to the world, she was certainly doing an exceptional impression of it. For deep within her own mind she dreamed of the past.

_"You have made a very grave mistake."_

_As Qui-Gon Jinn left the initiate duel room he found himself gazing into the troubled eyes of Sabé Amidala. Sabé had changed much over the years; her padawan braid was now strung with various beads, she had exchanged the traditional Jedi garb for tight pants and a matching top that made it easy to move, with a small vest covering her bare shoulders, a pair of goggles dangling from her neck and her two purple-bladed lightsabers hanging from her waist._

_"How so, young padawan?" Qui-Gon felt the need to remind Sabé of her place, but the girl never took notice- perhaps being out spoken was why Yoda had chosen her as his apprentice._

_"Obi-Wan Kenobi," she said, following him briskly. "You both share a connection, yet you seek to deny him a bond that will define you both because of misgivings you have from your previous apprentice."_

_Ah, so he had picked her because she was insightful, strong in the Force. Qui-Gon felt the smallest flicker of anger towards the girl, but then Padawan Amidala made a habit of making people angry._

_"I have no connection to the boy," he told her. The look she gave him in return was oddly patronizing._

_"The Will of the Force is a wonderful thing," she murmured, a slight smile present on her lips. Her eyes glowed with excitement. "Soon you will see."_

_She was starting to sound like her master. "What exactly do you intend for me to see?" he inquired._

_"Obi-Wan is no Xanatos."_

_Qui-Gon's eyes narrowed further at the mention of his apprentice whom had left the Jedi Temple and gone to the Dark Side. It was a bit of a sore point for the Jedi Knight._

_"Remember what I said, Master Jinn," she warned, stepping away from him. "Obi-Wan will surprise you, that much is sure."_

_"You're quite attached to your friend, young one," Qui-Gon told her calmly in an attempt to elicit a response from the child, but she surprised him._

_She smiled congenially. "How can I not be attached to a boy I call friend?"_

_And with that she left him._

"Okay," Talik murmured, fiddling with the ties of her master's jerkin before pushing it aside, along with the fabric underneath it. Sabé Amidala's flesh was far from perfect. Talik knew that her body had a number of deep scars, but Sabé wasn't ashamed of them. Some were from past mistakes, serving as a reminder to the future of what she should be careful of, and some told the story of someone willing to take blows for those whom she held close to her heart.

Talik had to wince when she saw the shrapnel embedded in her master's stomach, the blood churning her own stomach. She reached down into her tattered robes, withdrawing a few basic medical aid supplies that Master Yoda was insistent that all Jedi carry at all times. She pasted the bacta patch against the marred skin, wary of the damage she would cause by removing the metal from her flesh, before tying a bandage around her mid section enough that it would staunch the flow of blood, but loose enough that it would not imbed the shrapnel further into her stomach.

Sabé stirred faintly, but she did not awaken.

"Don't worry, Master," Talik whispered as night fell around them. "I'll get us out of here."

"_Master Qui-Gon?" Aayla Secura's eyes widened in surprise at the sight of the Jedi curiously without his companion. "Where's Obi-Wan? Sabé wants to try out a new fighting technique on him." Her smile turned a bit wry. "She's already sent us all to the medical ward."_

_Qui-Gon almost smiled, but it fell quickly, catching her attention instantly._

_Her face fell slightly. "I see," she said quietly, before wincing, "damn…I was broadcasting; now Sabé knows."_

"_And where is she?" the master wondered for one of the close friends of his former padawan._

_Aayla frowned intently at something above his head. "She's caught between meditation and going to the Archives…I think she'll settle on the Archives. She always prefers to have something to distract her before meditation, if she's given the option."_

_Qui-Gon nodded in understanding. "I think I will go have a few words with her."_

_Aayla bobbed her head in agreement, watching him go._

_Sabé Amidala was not so difficult to find in the Jedi Archives. She always sat in the same spot, as close to the middle as possible; Qui-Gon couldn't fathom why. Her face was tense as she pressed the buttons, making the images and the words on the screen in front of her shift._

_She didn't glance up as the master sat down in the vacant seat beside her._

"_Master Jinn," she murmured quietly, betrayal hanging in the air around her, though it was fading, albeit slowly._

_Darth Plagueis…Darth Bane…_

"_You seem to have a rare interest in the Dark Side of the Force, young padawan," Qui-Gon noted._

"_Worried?" Sabé asked dryly, lowering her mental shields so that he might look upon her as she truly was._

_Qui-Gon reached out into the Force, and then a slight smile graced his lips. There was no trace of the darkness that had plagued Xanatos, in fact, Sabé radiated purity, like most padawans and all Initiates did._

"_No," he said finally._

_She smiled, but it was barely one as she pulled the datachip from the machine, rubbing a tired hand over her forehead. "I should be getting back to my mission," she decided after a long moment. "I just needed something to distract me, that's all."_

"_How close were you to my former padawan?" The words were a past tense and they burned his tongue as he said them._

_She frowned delicately and he could see that she was biting the inside of her mouth at the question. "Obi-Wan is a sweetheart," she said finally, using the present-tense as a jibe towards him, "he had a lot of trouble with meditation and controlling his temper when he was younger. He noticed I was better at it than he was so he asked me for some pointers; that's how we became friends."_

"_That doesn't answer my question," he responded calmly._

_An edge of her lips uplifted slightly in amusement, the smile making her eyes glimmer like quartz. "Well, Master Jinn, I suggest you find that out yourself." _

.

.

_"I thought this was a solo mission," Aayla's voice blared from the comlink from where she was opposite of Kit and perpendicular to Sabé._

_"Master said I could bring two young padawans if I wished," Sabé responded evenly, raising her scanner. "You didn't honestly expect me to leave you two alone, did you?"_

_"I wondered," Aayla muttered, because all three knew she was referring to Aayla's leave since she had returned from brush with the Dark Side. Sabé had barely left her side since then, but she had obligations to the Jedi that could not be ignored._

_"You'll be fine," Kit's calm voice came over the com, directed entirely towards Aayla. "Sabé, I've finished over here, I'm heading over to Aayla's location."_

_"Got it," Sabé answered, glancing around the area she was searching. "I've got seven more blocks to check."_

_This mission in particular had them all on edge, and it wasn't because it was Aayla's first day back. Three younglings had been poisoned in the last week with a dosage that would have killed any who were not force-sensitive._

_The Jedi Council was understandably enraged...or they would have been if they rage was a feeling they relied on. The particular poison had been traced back to the Works, an abandoned manufacturing center. Yoda had suggested Sabé take the mission because she was difficult to catch with her speed, hence why the three padawans were searching the Works in the dead of night._

_A tingle rose up her spine and she drew her blaster, switching her comlink to Arthree. "Arthree? Are you picking up any disturbances?"_

_Several successive beeps and whirling noises were his -if the astro-droid was to be considered male- only response, but she understood him perfectly._

_Her jaw tightened. "I know what you mean," she agreed solemnly, her eyes scanning the darkness. "There's something off about this place."_

_Arthree gave a long, subdued beep and Sabé rolled her eyes. "I'm not going to get into trouble, stop being such a worrywart! It'll ruin your wiring..."_

_"Sabé? Do you copy?" Kit's voice echoed from her comlink._

_"I copy, I'm here," Sabé said, raising her wrist to her mouth. "Did you two find anything?"_

_"There's a big empty box, over here," Kit told her grimly. "It's got the poison's residue all over it and Aayla's collecting a sample to help identify a cure."_

_"I thought there wasn't any left?" Sabé said, confusion laced in her tone._

_"Barely," Aayla admitted, her voice growing louder as she no doubt moved closer to the comlink, "Just a few droplets, Sabé, I think the whole shipment has been used. That's probably why the attacks stopped; they ran out of supply."_

_The tingling had returned and this time Sabé could feel the Dark Side of the Force surrounding her, cocooning her...choking her off from the Light. She lifted her wrist to her mouth again. "I want you two to take my speeder back to the temple, find a med droid, and then report to the Council right away."_

_"But then you'll be without transport!" Kit refuted, only to find himself interrupted by Aayla. "What's going on, Sabé?" she asked._

_"Can't be sure yet," Sabé said, eyeing everything that surrounded her. "I've just got a very bad feeling."_

_There was a very pregnant pause and then Aayla said, "We'll be back as soon as we can."_

_Sabé shut off her communicator, steeled her nerves, and entered the main building. The engine room was ablaze with fire, fire that was throughout the structure, and on a main platform a figure in a dark cloak sat, his back to her. Sabé was suddenly reminded of a terrible vision she'd had when she was younger, of a man in a dark cloak, a man who had cut down youngling after youngling without a second thought. Unfortunately she did not have time to analyze the meaning behind the vision (as she never did) as the figure spoke._

_"Welcome, Sabé Naberrie," the man said, standing suddenly, for it had been a male who had spoken._

_Sabé called her twin violet lightsabers to her palms. They whirred to life, humming with power as she ascended to the platform. "Very few know that name," she said, calmer than she felt, which a mixture of fear, anxiety, and nervousness. "How is it that you came by it?"_

_He turned swiftly, lifting his large hood back to reveal the face beneath. Sabé barely held back a gasp; she had heard tales of male Zebrak with Sith-like skin patterns and cranial horns, but she never thought she'd meet one. This one in particular was strong with the Dark Side of the Force; she knew that if they fought, she would lose._

_"Yours is the name of a child destined for darkness," he said, his yellow eyes glowing malevolently._

_Sabé's grip tightened around her blade hilts. She thought once more of her nightmare, only this time with her face being the one under the hood. She gave her thoughts a mental shake. No, he was lying. He was trying to illicit a response from her. "Clearly," she said, extending her foot and bending forward slightly into an offensive crouch, "you have me confused with someone else."_

_"I don't." he said with certainty, his cloak falling to the ground as he ignited his double-bladed crimson lightsaber...the color of the Sith. But Sabé didn't have time to think about that either as they both rushed forward, their swords clashing with a hiss. The good thing about being a Jedi Guardian was that you had more training in combat that normal Initiates, however, Sabé had hardly been taught any of the advanced techniques of the Guardians, having only been considered for becoming a Guardian within the month, but she could hold on her own, the only question was for how long._

_She was on the defensive, blocking each blow -some more difficultly than others-, flipping and dodging to avoid some._

_"You will not win against me," he told her, aiming a solid blow at her stomach that had her dropping to the ground and rolling out of the wall and into a standing position once more. She was weakening, and she knew it._

_-Help- she whispered to the Force. -Can anyone hear me?-_

_Silence and then -Sabé?-_

_Sabé could've cried. -Kit!- she thought in relief. -Kit! I need help!-_

_-Trouble?- Kit asked, his voice resonating in her skull, before she flashed an image of her fighting the Zebrak male as quickly as she could without losing focus from the task at hand. –Aayla and I are coming.-_

_Sabé swung her arm down, using the Force to bring down a crate on the Zebrak, but moved it easily with the wave of his hand._

_Sabé leapt up onto the railing using a series of somersaults to dodge his strikes. -I'm at the Works, inside the main structure. There's a man, I—She was cut off by a sudden strike that knocked her off of her feet._

_There was a short silence on his end while she struck her blades against her opponents. -Help me, Kit- her thought whispered. _

_-We're on our way.- Kit assured her, his voice tinged with worry. –We'll be there in-_

_-Too late- she thought quietly as she was forced to her knees by the strength of his blows, his lightsaber growing closer to her skin with each passing second. -My time's run out.-_

_The Zebrak smirked as he sliced through her forearm like a knife through warm butter, delighting in the bloodcurdling scream that escaped her lips._

The sun was barely starting to rise over Naboo, but Talik was already awake with her master's head propped up on her lap. Sabé was capable of Force-healing, like many were, but she had said that Talik was not strong enough in her utilization of the Force for her to teach it to her yet, but to Talik's annoyance.

If only she had taught it to her before now, Talik probably would have her master awake by now.

"Are our communications knocked out?" she asked the R3 unit which had maintained a silent vigil through the night, checking the surroundings for any threats to his comatose master and her apprentice.

Thankfully there had been none.

Talik stared somberly down at the pallor of her master's face, noticing how her eyes were moving from under her eyelids.

"I say we give her thirty minutes," she decided, speaking to the astromech as if it was a human, "then we start moving."

Arthree beeped a response that she couldn't understand.

_Aayla leapt out of the speeder, racing up the steps of the once great industrial center, searching for her friend's familiar presence._

_-Ahead- the Force whispered, and without a second thought she raced up to the grated platform._

_"Sabé!"_

_The sixteen year old had numerous burns covering her body, her clothes were ripped, and her goggles were dangling broken from her neck._

_She froze for a moment; she was missing an arm._

_"Sabé!" she rushed to her side just as Kit came into view, lifting her body from the platform slightly._

_Kit leaned down beside her as well and brushed the back of his fingers against her temple and down her cheek, something he had learned at the Jedi Academy, to sense a Jedi's force-signature. He relaxed slightly._

_"She's alive?" Aayla breathed in relief._

_"She won't be for long if we don't get her to the Hall of Healing," Kit added a bit solemnly, causing the relief to be wiped from her face._

_Aayla nodded seriously, glancing around. "She'll kill me if we leave without her lightsabers," she muttered, calling the silver hilts to her hands from where they had fallen several feet away while her companion lifted the slim girl into his arms, and they both returned to the speeder, racing it towards the Jedi temple._

_When Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi returned from Melida/Daan they found a large number of the Jedi in the Jedi Temple rushing about. It didn't take long to recognize that the ones rushing were ones with abilities in the healing arts._

"_Mace!" Qui-Gon grabbed his old friend as he moved past. "What the devil is going on?"_

"_The poison Padawans Secura, Fisto, and Amidala discovered is having highly negative effects on the younglings." Master Mace Windu gestured to the healers rushing about. "They are trying to limit the casualties, but there's more."_

"_Oh?" Qui-Gon asked, his worry spiking. He hadn't thought the poison the younglings had ingested had been that serious, but he should have known better, it was poison after all._

"_Padawan Amidala is in the bacta chamber. She's sustained rather serious injuries," Mace said with a deep frown on his face, "she might not pull through."_

_Obi-Wan swallowed thickly, his heart beating rapidly against his chest. Sabé? What had happened to her?_

"_Her injuries were made by a lightsaber," Mace added, giving his old friend a meaningful stare._

"_Worry them, you should not," a familiar wizened voice said, "now removed from the bacta, my padawan is."_

_"Master Yoda," Qui-Gon said, giving the small Jedi a respectful bow, his two companions doing the same._

_"Thankful, I am," Yoda continued, "that still a padawan, I have."_

_"Is Sabé going to be alright?" Obi-Wan asked quickly, speaking for the first time since they had returned to Coruscant._

_"Stronger than she looks, my padawan is," Yoda assured the boy. "Recover, she will." And then he gave a sly comment that slighted Obi-Wan. "Received much worse injuries from you, Obi-Wan Kenobi, she has. Overcome them as well, she will."_

_And with that proclamation Yoda limped away, leaning heavily on his walking stick, looking every bit his eight hundred or so years, and making Obi-Wan feel more miserable than he had in a very long time; and as sad as it was, it was all his fault._

_Would she ever forgive him?_

_Understandably morose, Obi-Wan entered Sabé's room. Aayla Secura was sitting by her head, obscuring her face from view, but going by how she was moving her arms, she was re-braiding Sabé's hair. Obi-Wan almost smiled; Sabé hated having her hair down, no matter how many times her friends told her it looked lovely. Stepped forward and both Aayla and Kit looked up. Aayla's eyes were rimmed with red, contrasting with her blue skin and Kit was uncharacteristically tense. _

_Aayla's eyes narrowed in true anger. "What are you doing here?" she spat._

"_I just-" Obi-Wan cut himself off feeling a bit hopeless as his eyes dropped to stare at Sabé._

_He almost didn't recognize her. Her cheeks were as white as snow, making her eyelashes look much darker than they should have. Her arm was wrapped in bandages, and the other one was exposed, only extending to just below her elbow where a tight salve-soaked binding had been tied._

"_How bad is it?" he asked weakly._

"_She's had worse," Kit said, making Obi-Wan think that he, like Yoda, was referring to his leaving of the Order, because he knew that Sabé had never lost any limbs before._

"_I would suggest a lot of groveling when she wakes up," he added seriously. "Her loyalty to the Order probably ranks higher than her loyalty to you, now."_

_And he wasn't wrong._

**AN: Tell me what you all think! REVIEW! I NEED THEM! ;) **


	3. Resolutions

**Disclaimer: George Lucas owns Star Wars**

**A Shift in the Force: Chapter Three: Resolutions**

**AN: Now that I think about it, this chapter will probably be completely filled with flashbacks as well, so, sorry! But you all should enjoy the back story and how Sabé finally starts talking to Obi-Wan and a bit more details about her.**

* * *

_Sabé felt numb...and downright terrible. She blinked her eyes, having around the ward dazedly; she had never been injured so horribly that she needed to remain in the Hall of Healing for days on end. She clenched her right, artificial hand into a fist. It was very odd, she had decided when she awoke to not being one-handed, and she hadn't changed her mind. The arm was lighter than her real hand, so that would be difficult to adjust to. The structure was a bit skeletal, but, Sabé supposed glumly, that was to be expected. She ran a hand through her hair, irritation spiking through her when she realized her hair was no longer in its characteristic braids, but hanging free. That med droid was starting to get on her nerves...or maybe it was doing it on purpose, meaning Sabé could take pleasure in reworking its circuits._

_With a disdainful sigh, Sabé threw off her covers and swung her legs over the side of the hospital bed. Her legs tingled from disuse, but she didn't mind as she searched the room for some suitable clothing._

_Unfortunately, the closest she came was a loose beige tunic and dark pants, both that were obviously suited for a male. Still, she had to admit it was better than an open hospital gown. She frowned at the number of hair ties that lay on the side table, before simply hiking her kinked brown locks into a high ponytail. She grabbed both her lightsabers with her "good hand" and tiptoed out of the room. Luckily for Sabé, the other healers were otherwise occupied at the moment. Ducking between the many Jedi, she escaped down to the cavernous levels of the Temple. It was dark and quiet and calm. Sabé felt herself unraveling almost unconsciously at the familiar energy that flowed in the lower levels. For now, it was empty, and for that, Sabé was grateful._

_She set down her lightsabers, their dull thunk echoing in the silent hall. She looked down at her artificial arm, twisting the wrist slightly; she couldn't get used to the fact that she no longer had a real arm, only a cheap knockoff. Sabé should have been grateful, she supposed, but she missed her old appendage. Sabé pouted slightly._

_"It's no use crying over spilled muja," she told herself firmly. "You're just going to have to get used to it."_

_And then she ran, flipping into the air as she did so. It was a perfectly executed cartwheel, but when her arms made contact with the floor she collapsed in a heap with a loud yelp._

_"Padawan Amidala?" Sabé very nearly blushed beneath her limbs; why was it that Master Plo Koon always seemed to find her in the most awkward of situations? "Do you require assistance?"_

_She untangled herself to look up at Jedi Master Plo Koon._

_"That's alright," she said with a groan, rubbing her head. "I've got this."_

_"If you are certain," Plo Koon returned agreeably, turning on his heel when finally Sabé sighed._

_"Alright," she admitted, "I could use a little help."_

_The Kel Dor master could've smiled, but Sabé couldn't really tell with the protective mask that covered his mouth._

_"You seem to be having difficulty using your prosthetic limb," Plo observed as he helped her into a standing position._

_"A bit, Master," she admitted, dusting off her too-big clothes. "Though I suppose it's simply a matter of...adjustment."_

_"I believe that as well, padawan. So you must re-learn your skills that depend on the use of your hands," Plo told her. "You should start with balance."_

_"Of course," Sabé muttered mutinously._

_She positioned herself and ran a few steps, launching her hands towards the floor. She gave a noise of surprise when Plo Koon strode forward and gripped her ankles tightly so she was forced to maintain pressure on her wrists._

_It wasn't painful, but it wasn't very comfortable either._

_"Allow yourself to become familiar with your new limitations and expectations," Plo Koon warned as he released her ankles._

_Sabé gritted her teeth, but forced herself to remain in that position._

_Plo Koon bent down so she could see him. "There is no room for doubt on the path of the Jedi, young padawan."_

_"Yes, sir," Sabé hissed through her teeth, struggling to maintain her balance. "Always happy to learn from a master."_

_Plo Koon's answering chuckle was already moving farther away as he left her to her own devices._

_Sabé focused, but a split second later her wrist crumpled underneath her, making him chuckle louder. Sabé sank into a few different fighting stances of Ateru, as Master Yoda had first taught her. To her eternal annoyance, she found herself a great deal unbalanced._

_"Like some help, would you?"_

_Sabé smiled at her master's voice and turned to beam brightly at the small green ancient Jedi Master. "Master! My apologies for not sensing you, I was a bit focused." Embarrassment rippled through their Master-Padawan bond._

_"Understandable, it is," he said, moving forward with the aid of his cane. "However, once healed, expect you to sense me, I will."_

_"Yes, Master," Sabé said obediently, bowing her head slightly._

_"Problems with your arm, you are having, hm?" Yoda guessed as he came to stand before his much taller apprentice of eight years._

_"Yes, Master," Sabé repeated patiently, lifting the metallic arm slightly. "It's much lighter than what I'm used to…but Master Plo says I'll get used to it."_

_"And so you will," Yoda agreed just as patiently, summoning his lightsaber to his hand. "Learn best in combat, you will."_

_Sabé barely had any time to blink, let alone activate her own lightsabers as her master struck against hers._

_"Come," he commanded of her, "much to teach you, I still have."_

_And much to learn, she still had._

* * *

_"Just do it!"_

_"But-"_

_"Kit!"_

_"Fine…"_

_Sabé hefted the pair of lightsabers between her hands, the twin blades glowing with vibrancy. Her face was set in determination as she finally goaded Kit into attacking her full-on. The dual-bladed style, Jar'Kai was more difficult than it looked, and against brute strength, Sabé's form greatly lacked, hence why she was practicing against Kit, who was much stronger than Aayla (who partnered with her more than Kit did)._

_She brought her blades up so that they were parallel, blocking his first attack before responding with her own. But her strikes were shallow with her left hand as she was still getting used to the artificial hand she had had for about a week._

_"Master Yoda." Mace Windu came to stand beside the old Jedi. "Your apprentice seems to have bounced back quickly from her injuries."_

_"Left a stain on her, the Dark Side has," Toda said solemnly. "Now fragile, she is. More susceptible to the Dark Side, she is."_

_Mace frowned at his words, watching the Padawan's movements carefully. They were the same as any he had ever seen from her, focused and centered, but when he reached out into the Force he could see what Master Yoda meant. The attack had shattered her confidence in her abilities; she was inwardly contemplating so much that he couldn't even focus on a single train of thought without getting lost._

_"How did I not sense it?" he spoke in surprise, despite the fact that he was a Jedi Master (having recently ascended to the Council only two months previously) he had not been able to sense how deep Sabé's concerns were._

_"Hides her thoughts well, my padawan does," Yoda said as he limped forward with the aid of his cane, causing Kit and Sabé to pause and Aayla to walk over and join them as the two Jedi Masters came closer._

_"You're sure you were released from the hospital ward?" Aayla asked in concern, earning her an affronted stare. "What? It's been known to happen!"_

_"Master," Sabé said in her calm voice that betrayed none of her internal turmoil that even Mace was impressed, "Master Windu, what may I help you with."_

_"Given your report, you have not," Yoda chided her._

_She bowed again. "Yes Master." Sabé took a deep breath and began at the beginning in a formal voice that she often used when addressing those of higher status. Aayla and Kit called it her regal accent. "Padawan Secura, Padawan Fisto, and I split the Works up into sections to search more effectively. I was working a lot slower than the other two, so Ki- Padawan Fisto headed over to assist Padawan Secura and I continued with my sector."_

_"You did not find the poison?" inquired Mace._

_Sabé shook her head, her braids going in all directions. "Padawan Fisto informed me he and Padawan Secura had found the remnants of a container that still had a sample of the poison and I told them to head back without me."_

_"Why ask them to leave, did you?" Yoda asked._

_Sabé pinched the bridge of her nose. "Because I had a bad feeling- like there was nothing but the dark and cold."_

_"You mean the Dark Side of the Force?" Mace offered, scrutinizing her slightly._

_"Yes, master," Sabé agreed. "After they left I headed to the main structure and there was a man waiting for me." She faltered slightly. "He was a Zabrak and he called me by a name that only myself and Master Plo Koon know."_

_Aayla and Kit shared a look of confusion. What name?_

_"And what name would that be?" Mace asked._

_Her soft eyes hardened and her lips sewed shut. It was a surprising action, given how open she was._

_Yoda watched his apprentice quietly. Artificial light glanced off her skin and in an instant he saw her growing before his eyes into a beautiful young woman, a master in every sense of the word. He saw her fighting with her twin blades with a grace he had never seen her use. But most of all, he saw her strong in the Force, firmly ingrained in the Light._

_"Understand, I do," he said finally, "a private word with my padawan, I require."_

_Sabé inclined her head slightly and followed him away from her friends and Master Windu._

_"More to say, I sense," Yoda said in his aged voice, glancing upwards to her._

_Sabé winced at how easily he saw through her._

_"Yoursis the name of a child destined for darkness," that was what he had said. Darkness…the Dark Side, she didn't want to think she could sink so low to fall for their ideals._

_"Worry and fear I sense in you," Yoda spoke. "Fear-"_

_"Leads to the Dark Side, I know," Sabé said dejectedly. "Master…I feel…inadequate."_

_Yoda gave her a strange look, like he couldn't ascertain where she came up with this assumption. "Inadequate, you are not. Win against your enemy, you could not. Overcome your fear, you will."_

_Sabé didn't have his confidence._

_"A new mission you have been given," he continued, "to Naboo it will take you."_

_Sabé blinked at the mention of her homeworld. "Naboo?"_

_"Hm," Yoda agreed, "Possible attack on the Governor of Theed, there is, if attacked his daughter is."_

_Her heart rate skyrocketed. That didn't sound like a very good idea._

_"Accompany you Obi-Wan Kenobi will."_

_That comment had Sabé reeling backwards and she opened her mouth suddenly to disagree, but when she caught the steely glint in her master's eye, her protests fell silent. "Yes, Master."_

_"Meditate, you now will."_

_"Yes, Master she repeated somberly as she turned on her heel and made for the meditation rooms on the second floor. Who knew? Maybe quieting her mind would do her some good, and maybe provide the perfect distraction from one Obi-Wan Kenobi._

* * *

_Awkward was a good way to describe how Obi-Wan felt sitting across from Sabé who sat with her elbows resting on her knees, her hands interlocked and supporting her chin as she stared sightlessly ahead._

_The light glanced off of her new arm, making him flinch slightly._

_"What's the matter, Padawan Kenobi?" she asked in a voice much cooler than he was used to. "Never seen an artificial limb before?"_

_He opened his mouth to defend himself, but her attention had already shifted from him, her eyes drifting shut as she breathed in and out deeply._

_We are encouraged to love, she thought to herself, but we are forbidden from being in love. That in itself is a contradiction. How can we understand love, if we do not experience it? Master says dangerously strong emotions can lead to the Dark Side, but isn't it just as possible that love can firmly ingrain one in the light?_

_That nightmarish vision she had had since she was a little girl flashed before her eyes of that hooded figure striking down Jedi after Jedi. She bit her lip._

_No, she told herself, that Zebrak was wrong. I am light, I am good, and I am a Jedi. That is the path I chose, and it is the one I would choose again, if I was given the opportunity. I may not agree with some of the Order's teachings, but that does not change who I am._

_"Padawan Amidala, Kenobi?"_

_Sabé opened her eyes as the captain came out of the cockpit. "We've arrived."_

_Sabé nodded her thanks and paid him the credits for the trip as she descended from the ramp with Obi-Wan sticking close to her side, to her annoyance, but, she supposed, that was to be expected. Obi-Wan had never been to Naboo, and neither had Sabé._

_It was beautiful and bright…everything that Coruscant wasn't. Sabé had fallen in love with the world that she had been born on. How could she not? The very air held veins of the Force._

_"This way," she barked to Obi-Wan, returning to the task at hand and searching for the Governor's house. She didn't dare to say father, she couldn't._

_His home was large, but modest, she noticed as they waited patiently in the lobby area for him to greet them. She hadn't realized that her family had been very political; Governor of Theed hardly seemed like more than a title to her when she had first heard it, but it certainly explained a few things._

_"My apologies for keeping you waiting," Governor Naberrie said, radiating apology as he gave the pair a swift bow._

_The boy must have been seventeen or eighteen with an auburn color to his hair and bright hazel eyes that seemed a little dimmed, and his companion-_

_Ruwee very nearly gasped. "Sabé?"_

_His little girl had blossomed into a beautiful young woman of sixteen. It was almost a shame that she was a Jedi. Her hair, unlike her sisters' was tightly restrained in braids that swung around her face and her eyes, as brown as her mother's, were slightly startled._

_She bowed respectfully. "I am Sabé Amidala, my lord, and this is Obi-Wan Kenobi. I understand that the Jedi Council contacted you to tell you we were coming?"_

_"I-" Ruwee floundered for a second, "yes, they did. They said that they suspected that an attack would be made against my family?"_

_"Perhaps we should discuss this in private?" Sabé suggested, her eyes falling on one of the members of his staff who was taking a few sheets to be laundered._

_"Of course," he said quickly, "my study is free, please follow me."_

_He sat behind his desk, waiting for the pair to sit in the spare chairs before him. He couldn't help but notice how his daughter angled her body away from her companion's and saw the flash of regret within the lad's soft hazel eyes. Hm…they must have been friends that recently had a falling out._

_"I must admit, you were not what I was expecting," he said finally._

_"Because we're padawans?" the boy spoke for the first time with an arched eyebrow._

_"Or because I am a woman?" Sabé continued before a light flush adorned her cheeks at how she and her friend had shared a similar thought._

_"Oh, no," Ruwee said quickly, "I just wasn't expecting my daughter, that's all."_

_The boy –Obi-Wan, was it?- started slightly in surprise, staring at his friend in surprise._

_Sabé's smile was sweet, reminding him of little six-year old Padmé's. "I guess I'm not quite what you expected, am I…Father?" The word felt foreign on her tongue, but not in an entirely bad way._

_"Not quite," he admitted, his eyes twinkling. "Hello, Sabé."_

_"Hello," she said quietly, "but I'm afraid this isn't a social visit."_

_"It never is," Ruwee said tiredly. "Tell me about this attack."_

_"Last week a few Initiates at the Temple were poisoned," Sabé explained, "My master had a few friends and I check it out and somehow," irritation flickered in her eyes, "I happened across a man who knew me by my birth name, which I haven't told anyone." She wrinkled her nose slightly. "We dueled. He won and I lost my arm in the process." Sabé lifted up her metallic for him to see._

_She could feel his anger and it felt like a fierce burn across her, like a sudden throb of her heart. Being so close to someone like her father she found was quite strange, but his anger surprised her. This was a man who barely knew her, but here he was, angry on her behalf. She wasn't quite sure how she felt about that._

_She glanced to the side and met Obi-Wan's eyes for a split second, before they shifted away, focusing on anything but him._

_The disappointment roiled in her stomach and she bit the inside of her mouth as she tried not to focus on it, but that was a bit difficult._

_"Until we can ascertain if you are the true target of the attack or not, Obi-Wan and I will be stationed here on Naboo."_

* * *

_Padmé thought Padawan Amidala was very pretty. She was only there for a temporary assignment, that's what Mommy said, she and her friend were here to protect Daddy, that's what Mommy said. Sola hated her, but Padmé didn't understand why; Sabé was nice and confident and capable. Sabé was just like what Sabé wanted to be when she grew up. She didn't want to be like Sola who cared more about meeting the perfect man and settling down to have a family, like Mommy said they should._

_But that sounded so boring!_

_"Sabé," Obi-Wan, Sabé's male friend, spoke from behind the curtain that hid the balcony that overlooked the city. "Can we talk?"_

_"We are talking," Sabé said dryly and Padmé peered though the small space between the curtains to look outside. Sabé was sitting on the balcony with her eyes closed, her hands resting on her knees, and her legs crossed. She was breathing in deep enough that she could have been sleeping, but she wasn't. "What would you want to speak of, Padawan Kenobi?"_

_Obi-Wan frowned at her. "Sabé," he said in warning._

_Her lips twitched lightly. "Obi-Wan."_

_It was the first time that Sabé had said his first name in about three months, but Padmé had no way of knowing that._

_"Would saying I'm sorry help me at all?" he couldn't help but ask._

_Sabé inclined her head slightly to the side, her eyes still closed. "Perhaps…perhaps not." She sighed, her eyes fluttering open to reveal her amber-brown eyes. "I think I really wanted you to apologize at the beginning, but I suppose we all make mistakes, don't we?"_

_His brow furrowed slightly in confusion. "So, you don't want me to apologize?"_

_"What would you be apologizing for?" Sabé asked with a light shrug. "I have let go of my disappointment, besides," a smile twitched her lips, "I'm not very good at staying angry with anyone."_

_Obi-Wan couldn't deny that._

_"I would make a very bad Sith," she realized with a laugh, "I'm sure my attacker will be most disappointed."_

_Obi-Wan's smile was only slightly there. "Did you ever consider leaving the Order?" he asked her._

_"The Order is my life," she said after a long period of silence, "but it is not the only thing that is in my life. I believe that there are many flaws in its core beliefs, but that's just me…and I'm not sure Master Yoda would approve."_

_"But you're here," Obi-Wan said, "you're here with your family, with your sisters and your parents, doesn't it cross your mind?"_

_Padmé gasped loud enough for both of their eyes to turn in the direction from where she was hiding and then she ran away before they could move._

_"Sometimes," Sabé admitted sadly, "I wonder how different life would have been if I hadn't been born with a high midi-chlorian count, but it's best not to dwell on things that will never be, as Master says." She smiled. "Family is important, Obi-Wan, but if I had not gone to the Order, I would not have made such strong bonds with Aayla or Kit or you. Sometimes it's just best to focus on the good of life rather than the impossible."_

_Obi-Wan always thought it was weird when she got all philosophical on him, but he never questioned it; that was just the way that Sabé was._

_"We should send a message to the Council," Sabé decided after listening to the night for a moment, "it is clear that the threat was only to me and not to the Naberrie House."_

_It was strange how she referred to her family as if they were separate from me._

_"That's concerning," Obi-Wan said. "Who wants you dead?"_

_Sabé shrugged. "Who would know my birth name? I can't really say."_

_She unfolded her legs and jumped lightly back onto the floor, noticing the slight height difference between her and Obi-Wan (Wonderful, he would be able to use his height to his advantage in any duel they ever had, that was just what she needed) and finding it irritating, but thank the stars she was still growing. Sabé and Aayla were among the shortest of any of the padawans in the Temple and they were determined to beat out a few other padawans before they stopped growing._

_"Let me know when your shift is up," she continued, dusting off her pants, "though I doubt you'll find anything." She gave him a slight wave with her fingers before turning on her heel and disappearing of the stairs and off the balcony, the sunset casting red highlights into her hair as she did so._

_The Force hummed in content, but Obi-Wan couldn't fathom why. _

_**AN: Thanks for the positive response for this fanfic, it really makes me feel good about writing it, and though I really like how many of you favorite and follow this story, I would also like some reviews! Reviews make me very happy! Anyways, I might have the next chapter up by the end of the week, but don't hold your breath; I'm very bad at time management! Until next time, my faithful readers!**_


	4. Escape From Naboo

**Disclaimer: George Lucas owns Star Wars**

**A Shift in the Force: Chapter Four: Escape from Naboo**

**AN: Thanks so much for all the positive reviews for this story! I was kind of considering going back to the drawing board when you all gave me such compliments! So thanks for that! I probably would have updated this fanfic yesterday if I hadn't gone out with a couple of my girl-friends. I would apologize, but I had too much fun! Anyways, enjoy the chapter! There is plot in this one!**

* * *

Talik had to hide herself, her master, and Arthree when she saw the sheer number of droids. It was at that point that she had given up all hope entirely, but luckily, around this time Sabé was beginning to stir.

When Sabé finally awoke, she was quite disoriented; the world around her seemed like a jumble of memories. She frowned slightly, focusing her mind and allowing the memories to fade into the back of her mind, focusing on the present.

"Talik?" she rasped the name of her apprentice who came instantly to her side, having only abandoned it temporarily to keep a look out behind the foliage that she had artfully woven around them.

"Master!" Talik cried in relief. "You're awake!"

Sabé made an attempt to sit up, but pain flared quickly through her stomach and she had to grit her teeth to keep from crying out. She pulled apart the bandages, much to Talik's dismay to reveal her riddled flesh, the embedded metal stained with her blood.

"Ah," she said slowly, "that does present a problem."

Sabé rested her palm on her stomach, closing her eyes and sensing the extent of her injuries. They weren't as bad as they looked, Sabé could tell that from the start. The shrapnel hadn't caught any of her internal organs, which was always a good thing.

"Master, please don't-" Talik started to say when the metal all flew out of her stomach all at once. This time, she could not stifle the small cry of agony. Talik couldn't help but wince at the sound. It was strange to see her master in pain; she had always thought that her master was invincible, despite the fact that she had always had that metal prosthetic as a mark of her weaknesses.

Sabé hissed a breath out from her gritted teeth, exhaling the breath slowly as she attempted to mildly Force-heal the wound, however, in her current state, what she could and couldn't do were quite different.

Her attention wavered and her head tilted upwards at the sounds of trees being broken down in the path of the massive land crafts of the Trade Federation. "Talik," she barked, "go check and see if anything is coming towards us."

"Yes, Master!"

Talik scrambled to her feet to peer out from around the foliage, but she had to lean back suddenly as a chunk of metal flew past her nose. "Holy-!"

Three pairs of eyes turned in her direction and she stared. It was Master's friend Obi-Wan Kenobi, and his master, Qui-Gon Jinn…and a Gungan.

"Padawan Shala," Qui-Gon said, drawing her attention, "where is your master? The Council had received word that you were shot out of the sky by the Trade Federation."

"Um…yes," Talik said in embarrassment, "Master's this way, but she's injure-"

The pair was striding in the direction she had indicated faster than she had time to blink with the Gungan following close behind.

"Master Jinn," Sabé said, wincing slightly, "I suspect you and Obi-Wan were the secondary negotiators?"

"Yes," the master said, kneeling down to rest his palm against her exposed stomach, calling upon the Force. Sabé glanced upwards to meet Obi-Wan's eyes.

"Believe me," she said dryly, "I have looked worse."

Obi-Wan tried not to smile at his old friend. "I can remember…maybe you should try to keep out of trouble, Sabé, you'll live longer."

She snorted as Qui-Gon removed his hand. The wound was not as deep as it was before, but the pain was manageable as Sabé flinched in tying the bandages around her midsection.

"Tell us what happened before you were shot out of the sky," Qui-Gon invited. "Or perhaps that can wait…more droids are probably coming."

"More?!" the Gungan seemed to be a bit thrown through a loop as Obi-Wan easily lifted his brunette friend, much to her annoyance and embarrassment, into his arms.

"You tell Aayla about this and I'll kick your butt in saber training," she warned in his ear. He suppressed a smile as they set off with Arthree at the rear and Talik jogging alongside the older padawan, her master's blades clutched in her fists.

"Exqueez me," the Gungan interrupted, "but da moto grande safe place would be Otoh Gunga. Tis where I grew up...Tis safe city."

"A safe city?" Talik asked in surprise as they all stopped to stare at him, being a bit skeptical at the same time.

"Um-hm!"

"Could you take us there?" Qui-Gon asked with a demanding edge to his voice.

That made the Gungan retract a bit, becoming a little nervous. "Uh," he said, drawing out the syllable, "on second thought, no, not really, no, no."

Irritation flickered through Qui-Gon's eyes as he placed his hands on his hips. "No?" Obi-Wan privately thought that Sabé's was more impressive, but then, she'd been using that look -and the one that involved her crossing her arms and giving him a stare-down- on him and her other friends for years.

Sabe tugged slightly on Obi-Wan's robe, making his head turn towards hers so fast that he almost kissed her, but she didn't seem to notice, miming for him to set her down. He arched an eyebrow at her, to which she gave him a look that told him she was capable of walking without assistance, thank you very much. So he did as she asked.

"I's embarrassing!" The Gungan claimed, "boot... My afrai my've benn banished, my've forgotten. Der Bosses would do terrible tings to me. Terrible tings if my goen back dare."

"Then why bring it up?" Talik snapped in irritation, making her master's grip on her shoulder tighten and earn her a rather sharp look from the young woman.

"Do you hear that?" the older Jedi asked of the Gungan, to which the Gungan nodded. "That is the sound of a thousand terrible things heading this way."

"When they find us," Obi-Wan continued, his eyes dancing in the light, making Sabé roll her eyes slightly, "they will crush us, grind us into tiny pieces and blast us into oblivion!"

Sabé bit her lip to hide a smile as the Gungan sputtered before finally agreeing.

She could feel Obi-Wan's worry, much to her annoyance. "Talik and I will remain on land," Sabé decided, as if picking up his thoughts. "We'd be useless in an underwater city in my state." Her eyes flickered to Qui-Gon's and she seemed to pick a thought right out of his head as well. "We'll need to leave by ship…so we will await you in the hanger bay."

Qui-Gon gave a curt nod of agreement, concurring with her line of thought.

"Wait, Obi-Wan!" Sabé called suddenly, unclipping one of her sabers from her belt and tossing it to him, summoning his weapon from his belt faster than he could blink. "Yours will cool down better above land and being with a weapon that works is better than being with a weapon that doesn't." Her coffee eyes shifted to Qui-Gon. "Concur, do you not, Master Jinn?"

His smile was wry at Master Yoda's familiar speech. "I do."

"See you," Sabé added to the three before she placed a firm hand on her padawan's shoulder as the pair followed Arthree in the opposite direction.

"How are we going to reach the hanger bay without being seen by the droid army?" Talik questioned as Arthree beeped in annoyance, not being very pleased by the accumulation of sludge on his wirings and plating.

"Oh there are other ways of entering a city unseen," Sabé said in slight amusement, "if you know where to look."

Why was it that Talik always thought her master was the sort to get into heaps of trouble when she was younger? Of course, Master was one of the most well-behaved knights, so maybe she was a secret prankster…

"Arthree, do you still have that map of Theed that I had you download?"

Arthree beeped an affirmative as a blue hologram flickered into view, powered by the blue button directly below his domed head.

"Theed has a number of passageways hidden throughout the city," Sabé explained, pointing to various locations that Arthree had highlighted. "Most of them were constructed as a way for the citizens to escape from their homes in times of stress, such as wars, but they've been out of use for a few decades, which gives us the advantage."

"How's that?" Talik asked curiously.

Sabé gave her a wink. "It means, no one's going to see us sneaking around underground."

"We wouldn't want that," Talik said dryly.

"You really wouldn't," Sabé said seriously, "Them knowing we're alive would cause problems, seeing as I'm a bit incapacitated at the moment."

"Yes, Master," she said dutifully, her pale eyes glancing over the blueprint, pointing to a point on the map. "So we're here?"

Sabé shook her head, pointing with a metal finger to a different point. "No here...the closest entrance is less than half a mile from here. Come on." Her eyes fastened on Arthree for a moment. "Arthree, use your rocket boosters and hide when you get there, alright?"

He beeped in agreement as they turned away from him.

Talik stuck to her master's side like glue, wary of the woman's injuries, but Sabé never let on that her stomach wound was bothering her. But then, this was Sabé she was talking about, the Jedi had nerves of durasteel, or, at least that was the way it seemed.

The entrance, as it happened, was a vent.

Talik gazed at it with dubious eyes. "It seems a bit…small," she said in a voice that was filled with doubt.

Sabé spared her apprentice a smile as she unscrewed the covering. "A little faith, Padawan. Never judge anything at face value." And then she leapt upwards into the vent, bracing her arms and legs against the side as she slowly made her way up.

Talik sighed, but she followed suit, lest her master got too far ahead and forgot about her (because that had happened once before, much to both of their embarrassments).

The vent actually wasn't as small as Talik had originally thought, and she fit into it with ease. However, she was more concerned for her master who had a larger body mass than her (not that she was fat, or anything, just that she was taller and heavier than Talik because she was older) and she still had her injury.

Crawling up the vent wasn't very comfortable, but there was only one direction to go, so they didn't have much of a choice. Needless to say, Talik was glad when the vent leveled out, because her weight almost made her slip a few times. She was a little more than slightly irritated that Sabé hadn't had that problem, but then, Sabé probably had a lot of practice.

She had heard Knight Kit Fisto talk about her when she was younger, how she was the best at squeezing into tight spaces when they were both Padawans. She got the feeling that the Nautolan was a little jealous of her master and Aayla because they were both very light on their feet, fast to move, and thin enough to hide in places that he couldn't have dreamed of. Talik hid a giggle at that.

Warning echoed in the Force, causing her to freeze in her movements and force the humor to leak from her as she remembered the situation they were in. She glanced down through the thin grating that was over a staircase through which they could hear voices.

Sabé pressed a finger to her lips, indicating for Talik to remain silent as they listened intently.

"How will you explain this invasion to the Senate?" an older male voice asked, his voice bitter.

_That must be the Governor Bibble_, Talik thought to her master who inclined her head slightly in agreement.

"The queen and I will sign a treaty that will legitimize our occupation here. I have assurances that it will be ratified by the Senate."

Talik cast a frown to her master. _Who's that?_

_It must be Nute Gunray,_ she sent back to her, _the Viceroy of the Trade Federation._

_Is he strong?_

_He has strong allies, but he is a coward_, Sabé said in an almost blunt manner.

"I will not cooperate."

The voice should have belonged to her younger sister, but Sabé knew instantly that it couldn't be her. The accent that Padmé used as Queen was one that she had modeled slightly after Sabé's when she had been forced in front of HoloCameras. It made her sound much more serious and older than she usually sounded, something that Padmé had used very well.

However, this young woman was not Padmé Amidala (or Naberrie, depending on how you looked at it). Ah, a decoy queen, that explained it. Sabé had heard stories that the queens of Naboo had handmaidens that acted as their doubles in times of crises.

The pair waited for the Neimoidians and the group of humans with their droid guards to disappear down the stairs before dropping out of the vent to land on the steps. Predictably, Talik stumbled, almost falling.

"Are we going after them?" Talik asked, turning to head in that direction.

"No."

"No?" she asked in surprise. "Why not?"

"Because we have to do what we said we would do," Sabé said with finality. "Leave the queen and the others to Master Jinn and Obi-Wan. We need to get to the main hanger."

"Yes, Master."

* * *

"We're the ambassadors for the Supreme Chancellor," Qui-Gon explained.

"Your negotiations seem to have failed, Ambassador," Governor Bibble said with a bit of bite. "Not even the Jedi that came before you could reason with them."

"The negotiations never took place," Qui-Gon said calmly, ignoring how he believed that Sabé and her apprentice were dead. "It's urgent that we make contact with the Republic."

"Unfortunately," Captain Panaka said, stepping forward, "our communications have been knocked out. If you want to speak with the Republic, you will have to do it in person."

Qui-Gon's mouth thinned into a line. "Do you have transports?" They should, seeing as Sabé and Talik went through all the trouble of sneaking around to find the hanger bay.

"In the main hanger, this way."

That was about when they lost the advantage as the alarms began to sound and they rushed to the hanger with Captain Panaka leading them, in time to see three blades fizzing against the blasts from B1 Droid-made blasters, being green, blue, and purple respectively.

"About time!" Sabé yelled back to the group. "Obi-Wan, get your butt over here and help me!"

The auburn-haired Padawan lurched ahead, his violet blade –being actually Sabé's, seeing as she had his- bursting to life as he joined her.

Padmé started slightly under her hood as she watched the three Jedi dueling against the droids. Sabé…Sabé was alive! She was filled with so much relief by her presence that she almost forgot of the situation that they were in. And that boy…Obi-Wan, she thought he was the very same boy that had been with her sister the last time she had seen her, back when she was only six years old. She doubted that two Jedi could have the same name and the same hair color, which was far from likely.

"My god!" Governor Bibble said, startled. "They're still alive! How can that be?"

"Sabé Amidala is a very talented Jedi," Qui-Gon explained patiently.

"Your Highness," the older Jedi had begun to speak once more, drawing Padmé's attention from her sister once more, "under the circumstances I suggest that you come to Coruscant with us."

"Thank you, Ambassador," her faithful decoy, Yané replied with the same certainty that Padmé always used in her regal accent, "but my place is with my people."

"They will kill you if you stay," Qui-Gon said, his voice holding the same certainty that she had.

"They wouldn't dare!" Governor Bibble said aghast, and Padmé allowed her gaze to fall on Sabé's form. She could see what the Jedi had meant by her being talented. Never in all her life could she imagine moving like Sabé did. It was a similar grace to that of a dancer's, having a nearly identical fluidity, but clearly it was a style entirely of her own. Her friend and her apprentice had very different styles compared to it.

Padmé took a sharp intake of breath as a few blaster bolt burned across her arm where she used it to shield her apprentice. The attacks rendered one of her arms useless, but she had two blades and it hardly slowed her down as she sliced the head off the very last droid.

"They need her to sign a treaty to make this invasion legal. They can't afford to kill her," Captain Panaka said.

Padmé met Yané's eyes and saw the annoyance and irritation reflected there at how they were talking about her right in front of her.

Qui-Gon seemed to be the only one specifically speaking to Yané (being the queen, and all), much to both Padmé and Yané's relief. "There is something else behind all this, Your Highness. There is no logic in the Federation's move here. My feelings tell me they will destroy you."

Governor Bibble sighed softly as he turned to the queen as well. "Our only hope is for the Senate to side with us ... Senator Palpatine will need your help."

It seemed that they had already chosen what she had to do. Yané felt more irritation, in the defense of the queen.

"Either choice presents great danger," she said diplomatically, glancing to Padmé once more, "to us all."

Padmé bowed her head, but only barely, speaking in a soft voice, "We are brave, Your Highness."

"If you are to leave, Your Highness," Qui-Gon continued, not wanting to interrupt the monarch, but having to all the same, "it must be now."

"Then, I will plead our case to the Senate," Yané decided for Padmé.

"Master!"

Obi-Wan caught the Nabooan female before she hit the ground, her lightsabers dropping to the ground with an ominous thunk.

"Get on board!" Qui-Gon called to the group as they rushed forward with him holding his green blade aloft, ready for any impending attacks. Obi-Wan hoisted his friend up into his arms, following after them with Talik hot on his heels, holding three lightsaber hilts in her hands.

The medical bay wasn't too hard to find, and luckily, there was always a medical droid ready on the main transports of the Queen.

"Talik, go assist my master," he ordered the younger Padawan, whose face was now closer to mauve than the orchid color that her skin usually was, "I've got Sabé. _Go_!"

Talik nodded jerkily, dumping the lightsabers that belonged to her master in an empty bucket before launching out of the room as though she was on fire.

Obi-Wan tightened the straps around his unconscious friend so that she wouldn't go sliding off once they made the jump to hyperspace. A mournful beep interrupted him and Obi-Wan looked up to see Sabé's faithful R3 unit. She must have sent him ahead of her…

The astromech was holding out a small container on a two-pronged appendage that could possibly be considered an arm. Obi-Wan took it from him and opened it with a wry smile. Bacta patches. It was times like these that he saw just why Sabé liked the astromech so much.

He pasted a few on her only flesh-covered arm, over the burns from the blaster, before tying a bandage the length of her arm. She made a small noise in her slumber, her eyebrows furrowing slightly when he tightened the bandage over her arm.

"Sorry," he muttered as he lifted the hem of her shirt to see the damage of her stomach once more. The wounds had barely healed, but that was to be expected, after all, she had been moving around since the bandages had been wrapped around her. He privately thought that she was lucky that she hadn't done any more damage to herself since then, well, other than her injuries to her arm.

This time she cried out when he placed a larger patch on the wound. Her eyes fluttered slightly as her body stiffened before going limp once more. He brushed his fingers over her temple and down to her cheek, focusing intently and sighing once he felt the familiar thrum of her Force-signature.

A sudden jerk threw him almost on top of her, which would have been more embarrassing for him than for her, seeing as she was unconscious, but he caught himself at the last possible second.

"Keep an eye on her," he told the astromech who beeped an affirmative, rolling forward so that he was resting close to her side as Obi-Wan raced through the ship to meet his master and Talik in the cockpit.

"What was that?" he demanded.

"The shield-generator's been hit!"

And the droids sent out to fix it weren't doing so well. He had half the mind to suggest.

"Don't even think about it," Talik warned from his side. "Arthree only obeys Master, he won't go out there unless she tells him to, and she isn't really in a state to do so."

Well, she wasn't wrong there. But luckily, it wasn't much of an issue to argue, because the last remaining droid managed to get the shield up and working enough that they flew past the Trade Federation's blockade without too many problems, but then they ran into one of their own.

"We don't have enough power to make it to Coruscant."

"Do we have enough power to make it to any planet that the Trade Federation doesn't have some influence over?" Talik bemoaned, pressing her hands into her face as Obi-Wan scanned through a star chart on one of the spare monitors.

"Actually, we might," he said, drawing all the attention towards him. Obi-Wan disliked the attention, but at the same time, he was grateful that he had mastered himself well enough to not blush at the attention paid to him. Sabé always thought it was "adorable" when he blushed. He still wasn't quite sure how to respond to a comment like that. "Here, Master, Tatooine." His master leaned over his shoulder to look at the planet that was on the screen. "Its small, out of the way, poor…The Trade Federation has no presence there."

Captain Panaka couldn't help but ask in a dubious voice, "How can you be sure?"

It was Qui-Gon who answered him. "It's controlled by the Hutts."

Talik stiffened slightly. Everyone knew about the Hutts, they were a bit notorious. Sabé would never set foot on Tatooine if she could help it, mostly because it confused her. She had gone there once as a Padawan, undercover as a servant girl to the Hutts. Talik knew that the experience hadn't been very pleasant on her part. But she had said that she had sensed something strange on Tatooine, something that she didn't quite understand, even years later.

"You can't take Her Royal Highness there!" Captain Panaka disagreed. "The Hutts are gangsters! If they discovered her-"

"It would be no different than if we landed on a system controlled by the Federation," Qui-Gon interrupted, "except the Hutts aren't looking for her, which gives us an advantage."

Still, Talik couldn't help but feel uneasy. Master Sabé would not approve.

**AN: Thanks to you all for reading! PLEASE REVIEW! ;)**


	5. Stranded

**Disclaimer: George Lucas owns Star Wars**

**A Shift in the Force: Chapter Five: Stranded**

**AN: Sorry I haven't updated in a little bit, I've been a bit obsessed with Looking Beyond and Daughter of Rome and A Girl Named Hope! Please enjoy! And don't forget to vote for your favorite fanfic on my profile!**

* * *

The number one most aggravating thing about Sabé Amidala, was that she wouldn't stay put. Obi-Wan had almost given himself a heart-attack when he went have a look at the hyperdrive, only to find his friend tinkering away underneath it.

"Sabé!" he said in dismay, crouching down so that he could see under the contraption. "Sabé, you're supposed to be resting!" He pulled her by the leg out from under the hyperdrive. Sabé had a smear of grease on her cheek.

Sabé scoffed lightly, rolling her eyes at the Stewjonan. "Come on, Obi-Wan," she wheedled, "you know I can't stand staying in hospital wards! They're so boring!"

"Your injuries-"

"All wounds heal," Sabé said patiently, "besides, we might be here for a while, come look at this."

Obi-Wan gave a forlorn sigh as she rolled under the hyperdrive again, but he followed her, lying shoulder to shoulder with her. Sabé pointed her vibro-screwdriver at an area that had been blackened, contrasting with the silver of the rest of the engine.

She tapped the tip of the screwdriver against the center of the blackened area. "See that? That's where it shorted out. The circuits are completely fried. It'll need to be replaced."

"None of it can be salvaged?" Obi-Wan asked, inspecting it closely.

"None of what I can see," Sabé admitted as he helped rolled out from under and helped he into a standing position. She couldn't help but stumble, her knees buckling slightly from the sudden shift of focus.

"Alright, Sabé?" Obi-Wan asked in concern, his arms winding securely around her like when they were kids, but this time it felt much different. His face was very close to her own and she could feel her cheeks heating up at the closeness.

"F-fine," she managed to say, extracting herself from him (what was really sad was that he hadn't even noticed how flustered she would get if they suddenly were too close to each other; Sabé was trying to minimize it, but it was a work in progress), and wincing when the movement jarred her arm. "Kriff," she muttered.

"Your arm!" Obi-Wan pulled the injured appendage towards him, his touch making her skin warm.

"Obi-Wan, its fine," Sabé said with a dismissive air. "Trust me, I was in worse shape with Talik on Ryloth."

He winced slightly, recalling the nature of her injuries from not two weeks prior. "True, but-"

"What did I tell you about worrying?" she chided. "Who's the older one here?"

Obi-Wan opened his mouth to speak, as he was her elder by a year at least, but thought better of it. It wasn't really a good idea to argue with Sabé when she was injured; the last time he had tried, he had gotten a bash of a lightsaber hilt to his right temple. It hadn't been pleasant, and Sabé had had to have a serious talk with Grandmaster Yoda about using aggression.

"You're projecting," she added dryly.

Obi-Wan's cheeks flushed a deep, dark red. Embarrassment flooded.

"You're still doing it," Sabé sang, tossing him an open grin as she made her way slowly out of the room and into the medical ward at the precise second that her comlink buzzed. "Amidala."

"Master."

"Any luck?" Sabé asked her padawan.

"They have only one hyperdrive, Master, its Nubian class, but they don't take Republic credits," Talik explained in a hushed voice.

"Well, they wouldn't," Sabé said, rolling her eyes slightly. "Tatooine is one the outer rim and not under the control of the Republic; they have their own monetary system."

"I'll report back when we have something," Talik said mournfully before switching off the comlink and tucking it into her belt.

Today was a really interesting day for Anakin Skywalker. Padmé was beautiful, but he couldn't help but be embarrassed that he'd asked if she was an angel, but he couldn't stop himself. She looked so much like that other girl, the one with the comforting smile and dozens of brown braids swinging around her face.

He had been dreaming about her for as long as he could remember, but she had never spoken to his in his dreams. She only took his hand and led him away from the nightmares. His mother had always thought that he just didn't have them, until he'd mentioned her.

Padmé and the other girl were probably the most interesting creatures to date; hardly anyone wanted to talk to a servant boy.

The other girl wasn't human, she was a twi'lek. Twi'leks weren't so rare in Mos Espa, and he knew Jabba the Hutt had a few of them employed as dancers, but he was sure that he'd never seen a twi'lek like her. First of all, she was purple, a really light purple, and one of her lekku had a strap of leather bound to it, on which a string a beads hung. But the strange thing was that she was dressed very modestly, not at all like the Twi'leks that Anakin had seen. When she moved, Anakin could see her laser sword clipped to her waist. Was she a Jedi?

Talik came to stand beside Padmé, irritation flickering in her light eyes.

"How is your master?" Padmé asked.

Talik huffed slightly, crossing her arms in annoyance. "I can tell that she'd much rather be out here than cooped up in the ship," she amended, "but she'll never admit it."

"Too proud?" Padmé guessed, but she received a steely stare that told her she had said something wrong.

"J-" Talik caught herself, glancing to Anakin who eyed her curiously. "We are not proud. Master just doesn't like to complain about such things, she believes in embracing ones pain, and learning from it."

Talik still hadn't quite learned that lesson, and she didn't think she would any time soon, but Master said that that was alright; she hadn't mastered her own pain until she was sixteen or seventeen, when she had to let go of all the emotions that warred inside her after her attack.

She turned her head, her lekku swinging behind her as she did so to smile at the young mechanic. "Hi, I'm Talik Shala."

Anakin grinned brightly, waving his vibro-screwdriver happily. "'Lo, I'm Anakin Skywalker. Are you stranded?"

Talik gave him a tight smile that she had replicated from her master, quite perfectly, she had to admit. "Right now, yes."

"Where you from?" he asked her, fiddling with the small item in his hands.

"Ryloth, and Padmé here and Master Sabé are from Naboo," Talik explained, but one name caught his attention.

"You know someone named Sabé?" he asked in complete surprise. "I thought I'd made her up!"

This time it was he that earned the incredulous stare. "What are you talking about?" Talik demanded defensively. "Of course Master Sabé Amidala is real!"

"Anakin," Padmé said in a far more patient voice than Talik, "why didn't you think Sabé was real? How do you even know who she is?"

Anakin shrugged, a faint blush rising in his cheeks, though he was sure the engine grease his it well. "I used to get these really bad nightmares when I was younger," he said, speaking quietly in the hope that Talik wouldn't be set off a second time, "and there was always this girl who would show up and lead me back."

"And her name was Sabé?" Talik asked dubiously.

"Pretty sure," Anakin said, screwing his face up as he tried to remember. Talik shut her eyes and opened her connection to the Force further than she had ever done before. She wasn't that great at sensing the Force that surrounded all things (as shameful as it was, she sometimes couldn't even sense her master when she was standing right next to her), but she could sense that this boy was…something. She reeled back slightly, making Padmé touch her arm in concern.

"Talik?" Talik could hear her name, but at the moment, she was far too focused to care. Anakin was _bright_. The Force was so tightly woven around him it was almost a shield. His presence was much stronger than anything she had ever felt from Master.

"You are strong in the Force," she said in surprise, her eyes fluttering open as she did so.

"The Force?" Anakin asked in confusion as Padmé stared at Talik.

"That's very strange," Talik muttered to herself. "If you were so strong in the Force, then your presence should have been picked up by the Holocrons…" A frown marred her lavender face, and she absentmindedly tapped her fingers in a rhythm against the hilt of her saber. The intense look of concentration reminded Padmé of her sister before the crash, when she had been telling her about all that the Trade Federation had done.

"Unless…" Talik muttered to herself, too low to be discerned by either humanoid. If Anakin Skywalker and Sabé Amidala were two of the most powerful Force-users to be recorded, and Sabé was known to be the prophesied Guide, then it could be assumed that Anakin was the prophesied Chosen One.

This mission had just gotten a little bit interesting.

Sabé's dream was dark, very dark. Shadows danced and blast residue covered the entirety of the Jedi Temple. She could feel all of the bad emotions filling inside of her like her calm resolve had sprung a leak. She felt the rage, the sorrow, the fear, the loneliness, and it threatened to consume her, body and soul. The corpses littered the floor, of master, padawan, and youngling.

Sabé could feel the bile rising in her throat. What dark corner of her mind could conjure this? She felt ashamed, but by the time she reached the Council Meeting room, that feeling had abated slightly.

Because of who –or should she say what? - she saw within the chamber, standing amidst the bodies, hooded and cloaked with their face hidden from view.

Sabé had her lightsabers in her hands in seconds, activating them as she slipped into a defensive crouch. "Who are you?" she demanded.

"I," the voice spoke from within the folds, dark and filled with hatred, "am Darth Carina, but my name matters little." She shrugged the hood from her brow and Sabé's eyes widened at the face beneath. "Because," she continued, "you will be dead before you can even speak it." Her double red lightsabers flared to life and Sabé didn't have enough time to move before she struck her through, making her awaken in a sweat.

She gulped greedily at the air as if she had been starved of it, her heart beating frantically in her chest, faster than it had perhaps ever beaten in her life (including that run-in she had had with that Zabrak when she was sixteen). She sat up suddenly in her bed, grunting in pain at how the movement jarred her stomach. Sabé had to take a moment to get used to the pain before swinging her legs over the side of the bed and dropping gingerly to the ground. Luckily, this time around, doing so did not make her legs collapse under her, only buckle slightly, which was a big step up in her opinion.

The flashing lights and whirring noises told her that Arthree had activated his movement sensors. She tried not to roll her eyes, but really, the astromech made it too easy…

"I'm fine, Arthree," she said calmly, moving sluggishly towards the door, pressing on the button that slid it up and open.

Arthree beeped a question.

"I'll be quite fine on my own," Sabé said, "there aren't many places I can go; don't worry so much, you'll ruin your wiring."

Arthree gave her an indignant beep and tottered so that his back was facing her as the door slid shut with her on the opposite side.

The artificial lights on the space craft were darkened so as to give off the illusion of night. To Sabé, it seemed dead depressing; it was one of the reasons she really hated traveling in spacecrafts. She preferred to see the night as it was, and it was the reason why the balcony of her apartment was probably the most likely place one could find her, if they wished.

She traced a hand along the wall, using it as both a guide of sorts and a way to support herself (curse her weakness!) as she blinked her eyes harshly, trying to get them used to the level of darkness the ship had provided her with.

The silence didn't calm her as it usually did, much to her disappointment, but she chalked that up to a combination of her dream and her injuries. She could hear her palpitating heartbeat as if it was a drum beating constantly in her ears, and it was making her dizzy.

The droid hold was empty except for the single R2 unit that remained. It beeped a cheerful greeting to her, making her smile. Arthree's 'voice' was a fraction lower than Artoo-Detoo's.

"Hello," she said, sweeping her cloak around her as she bent down to sit beside him, taking in the bit of debris and smudges of oil that covered his plating, having not been removed before. "I'm Sabé Amidala…you're…" She ran a finger along his name, "Artoo-Detoo?"

He beeped in agreement as she inspected the damage to his 'body' closely.

"Looks like you could use a good scrubbing," she said, glancing at him. Most astromechs weren't anything like Arthree, or even how Artoo seemed to be, they lacked the humanistic traits and had more robotic responses than human. This was rather common, but Sabé found that she liked it better when she could relate more to them.

She ripped a bit off of her already torn cloak and used it to soak up the blotches of oil. Regrettably, it didn't do much but cause light grey smears across the plating, but it was better than the black.

"You've got an awful lot of debris jammed up in here," she noticed, pulling her vibro-screwdriver from her utility belt and attempting to pry a bit loose, but it was difficult work. Sabé was sure it would work better if she had a larger screwdriver, but she was both too lazy to move and she wouldn't know where to find one, so she had to settle for using the miniature one she usually only used for small repairs and resolved to get one that was a bit larger in size as soon as they were back on Coruscant.

She sighed forlornly. She missed Coruscant, and it had only been a few days since they'd left. And she missed her apartment.

Though it was rare to accept such lavish gifts, Sabé had an apartment in 500 Republica. It was a well known fact that its occupants were a number of famous, wealthy, and important people to the Galactic Republic, and Sabé herself fit none of those, unless one was spreading word of her exploits.

Sabé had tried to refuse it when she first heard that her father had bought the apartment for her use, it had embarrassed her a bit and annoyed her at the same time (it was like he thought that she could be bought). However, it wasn't like she could give him back the apartment, he had no use for it, so she had reluctantly accepted it, though having a lot of the more extravagant items removed from it so that only the barest minimum of furniture remained, and making sure that everyone knew that it was open for their use. Some people considered it an extension of the Jedi Temple, if one was in need for a place away from the table to quiet their mind, or even a different perspective on a certain view.

Many did not believe she should accepted such a gift 'so easily' (she had tried to give it back, but many seemed to ignore that tiny bit), and many believed her views to be flawed, and the Ongree Jedi Master Pablo-Jill was one of her biggest critics. He believed in giving oneself entirely over to the Order, and while Sabé was faithful to the Code (for the most part), that didn't stop her from questioning it at every turn.

She sighed again, using Artoo's domed head to stand up, biding the astrodroid adieu and following the Force signature of Obi-Wan until she found herself climbing up into the cockpit.

"I need an analysis of this blood sample I'm sending you." She could hear Qui-Gon's voice as she hovered back and away, listening intently but keeping far enough back that Obi-Wan wouldn't see or sense her.

"Wait a minute…" Obi-Wan said as his comlink beeped that the transfer of info had taken place, allowing him to plug it into one of the many screens on the ship.

"I need a midi-chlorian count."

Sabé peered curiously at the screen and goggled slightly. Her midi-chlorian count was nothing compared to that!

"This can't be right," Obi-Wan said, a bit stunned, "the reading's off the charts, it's over twenty thousand! Even Sabé doesn't have a count that high!"

"No Jedi has," Qui-Gon's voice uttered from the opposite end of the comlink, confusing Obi-Wan and making Sabé frown slightly.

"But what does that mean?" Obi-Wan pressed of his master, but Qui-Gon could offer the young man no answer.

"I'm not sure."

Obi-Wan turned off his comlink a fraction of a second after his master, swiveling his seat around and jumping violently at the sight of Sabé within the shadows. "Sabé! Don't do that!"

A smile graced her lips as she moved forward, leaning around him to bring up the last image that the screen had displayed by pressing a number of the buttons. Obi-Wan was surprised by the intensity that her eyes held as she looked over the count.

"Is something wrong?" he asked her. "Are you upset that your record got beaten?"

She couldn't help but give him a light laugh. "Do you really think I'm that shallow, Obi-Wan?"

A pink flush rose in his cheeks.

"I feel like I've missed a lot, how long was I asleep?" she asked as she switched the monitor off and leaned against the wall.

"Just about a day," he assured her, "how are your wounds?"

Sabé dropped a hand to her stomach, despite the throbbing ache, it was much better than the day before and her arm was practically back to normal. "Better," she admitted, "I should be completely healed by tomorrow if I do a bit of Force healing tonight."

"Let me."

"Hm?" she asked, arching an eyebrow at him in slight confusion. "Let you what?"

"Let me work on your stomach wound," Obi-Wan said calmly, "I haven't been of use much, please."

Sabé watched him for a second. She was uncomfortable about having Obi-Wan so close to her bare skin, but she didn't show that; she was a Jedi first and foremost. "Alright," she acquiesced, "as long as you tell me what I missed."

She didn't wait for his answer, turning on her heel to move slowly towards the medical ward. That was another problem of Sabé's, Obi-Wan thought to himself as he followed her, she wasn't one for really asking any help.

And he knew it was going to cause trouble, he just knew it.

* * *

Qui-Gon Jinn rarely heard of such Force-sensitive children such as Sabé Amidala and Anakin Skywalker. Children with that many midi-chlorians were unheard of. He wasn't surprised to discover that Anakin had been conceived by the midi-chlorians themselves, just as the Prophecy of the Chosen One had claimed. It reminded him a great deal of Sabé's (for it was assumed to be a prophecy about her despite the number of disbelievers) Prophecy of the Great Guide, which spoke of a girl born under the waning crescent moon, a girl who walked the fine line of Light and Dark. Sabé, he knew, shouldn't have been born. Master Plo Koon had said that her parents called her a miracle, saying that her mother shouldn't have been able to carry her to term, but she did, as she did with her other two children.

Sabé Amidala was an oddity of the Jedi Order all by herself, and he couldn't help but be glad that she already had a padawan. If Anakin was indeed chosen to become a Jedi, it wouldn't be such a good idea to have two powerhouses so close to each other; the damage they could cause would be…impressive.

But he was forgetting that Sabé wasn't a very explosive person. She could be an excellent teacher, as she was to young Talik, and even to her friends.

"Brooding isn't very Jedi."

Qui-Gon looked up to Talik Shala who was standing before him, her arms closed and a blanket in her arms which she held out to the older man. "From Shmi," she explained before sitting down beside him. "Did you tell her about Sabé?" she asked him.

Shmi had been a bit surprised to discover that her son's nightmare guide was in fact a real person, though Qui-Gon very much doubted that Sabé had any knowledge of the dreams that Anakin Skywalker had.

"Yes," he said, "I don't think she quite understood what I was talking about."

Talik rolled her eyes at him as if to say: "No one ever understands what you say, Master Jinn."

"Do you think this is a good idea?" she asked him instead. "So much is riding on that pod race tomorrow…what if Anakin loses?"

"Do you think he will?" Qui-Gon asked.

"I think that you have too much trust in him and we've only just met him," Talik said in a mutinous mutter, "and Master would agree with me."

"But your master is not here," Qui-Gon felt the need to remind her.

Talik scowled at him, sensing his thoughts of her master. "I can think on my own, thanks," she snapped, "just because I have a habit of repeating Master's words doesn't mean I am her. Just because you don't approve of her views doesn't mean that she's a bad person."

And with that, she stood up and stormed back into the little hovel that belonged to the Skywalkers.

Her anger would have worried him, if it hadn't been justified.

Still, he would have to speak with Sabé about Talik's meditations.

**AN: And I give you Anakin Skywalker! Sorry I haven't done much with this chapter, but most of the action happens outside of the spaceship, and since Sabé is on the spaceship…well, you get what you get.**

**Next chapter the gang will be heading back to Coruscant, Qui-Gon has a small duel with the Zabrak that cut off Sabé's arm seven years ago, and Anakin meets the girl of his dreams (no, not like that, this is Sobiwan, remember?). I'm not quite sure when I'll update next, but, on the plus side, I am on spring break, so I have more time on my hands than usual.**

**PLEASE REVIEW! :D**


	6. Fated Meeting

**Disclaimer: George Lucas owns Star Wars**

**A Shift in the Force: Fated Meeting**

**AN: Only one review for the last chapter! Sad face! I better get at least two for this one, you numpties!**

* * *

Sabé was still fast asleep when her comlink buzzed, and the last thing she wanted to do was move and grab it. Still, she reached out a hand aimlessly, almost knocking it to the floor as she searched for it.

"Amidala," she said fuzzily, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Master!" Talik's voice was positively bubbly, her words coming in a bit slurred in her excitement so that Sabé couldn't understand a word she was saying.

"Slow down, Tali," Sabé said in a patient voice, sitting up on the medical bed and feeling pleased that now her stomach was only stiff and sore, "I can't understand you when you're this excited."

"Anakin won the podrace!" Talik said, her voice still holding its previous excitement, "Master Jinn is having it brought to the ship!"

The sleep left Sabé as she swung over the side of the bed, making the cloak that had been thrown across her during the night fall to rest on her knees. She stared at it in a bit of confusion. Obviously it wasn't hers; it was too light for her tastes. Obi-Wan, the Force whispered.

Her fists clenched slightly in the fabric as a healthy bit of color rose in her cheeks.

"How soon?" she asked, directing her attention to the comlink once more.

"We'll be back within the hour!" Talik chirped.

"I'll let the pilot know."

She switched off her comlink, and clipped it to her belt once more, looping Obi-Wan's spare robes over her arm as she made her way out of the room, bumping into the young man in question she had been intending on looking for.

"Obi-Wan!" She managed not to blush in spite of the fact that she was holding his cloak in her arms. "Um, this is yours." She practically flung it at the older young man, but he took it in good grace, maybe because he was too busy to do anything different.

"Thank you," he said politely as she came walk beside him. "You look much better. Are you all healed?"

"A little sore, but much better from yesterday," Sabé agreed. "I am very much looking forward to sleeping in my bed."

Obi-Wan laughed outright at that comment. "Aren't we all?"

"Looking forward to sleeping in my bed?" Sabé said, her lips quirked. "No. Is there something you want to tell me about, my friend?"

The completely embarrassed expression on his face was so utterly comical that Sabé had to bite her lip to stop herself from laughing. She took a moment to watch her old friend splutter and flail in the water that he was now drowning in, before deciding to rescue the poor man. "Don't worry, I know what you mean."

Obi-Wan coughed slightly in an effort to hide his embarrassment, but he wasn't very successful.

"I never got around to asking you," Sabé said suddenly, dragging him rather suddenly from the uncomfortable moment, "how was Mandalore?"

She was of course referring to his extended mission with Qui-Gon on the planet Mandalore, protecting the young Duchess Satine Kryze. Obi-Wan had hardly mentioned it at all, which was rather unlike him; Padawans always exchanged what came to be known as 'war stories'.

"It was fine."

That caught her attention and she arched an eyebrow, her curiosity coming back in full. "Just fine? That doesn't sound much like you."

"Just leave it," he requested with a slight plead in his voice, "please?"

Sabé eyed him suspiciously for a moment but she conceded, because she could feel his shame about the whole matter, how his faithfulness to the Order wavered for the second time.

"Ah," she said lowly, "I see."

"Do you?" he asked in an almost mournful voice. This would mark the third time his heart had been stolen by a female, and the thought made him understandably miserable.

Sabé felt ashamed that she had not noticed the change in her friend earlier, for it was clear that the matter had been something that had been plaguing his mind for quite some time, and then embarrassed by her own affection towards the Jedi Padawan, but it hardly seemed like something that she could help herself doing.

"You were in close contact with the Duchess for close to a year," Sabé said slowly, choosing her words with care and hoping that she wouldn't upset him too greatly, "its understandable that…feelings developed between the two of you." But what really pained her was that he couldn't see her even though she was right there, beside him, like she had always been. She was nothing like Siri Tachi, that much she could be certain of, but she had to admit, they did have…certain similarities. Both were determined and capable, though Sabé's mindset allowed her to adapt to working with more than one person, while Siri preferred to work alone. Siri was more headstrong, while Sabé was more patient. There could be no two people who were so different yet so the same.

"Did that ever happen to you?" he asked her, noticing how lost in thought she had just become.

"I never really had the opportunity," she admitted, "none of the missions I went one involved protecting a male for an extended amount of time, and besides, it would never have been an issue if I had."

That piqued his curiosity. "Why's that?"

"I am a Jedi first and foremost," Sabé said in a diplomatic manner, "though I do listen to my heart, I do not think that I would fall in love with a simple man. They would have to have complexity and understand my devotion to the Order."

"What man would?" Obi-Wan asked her, his eyebrows melting together, conveying his confusion.

A Jedi would, Sabé thought to herself, but she did not voice the words, she would never voice those words, especially not to him. It would take a great deal to get her to profess her true feelings, and she did not anticipate that happening anytime soon.

"A great man," Sabé said with assurance, her eyes meeting his for a moment, and Obi-Wan caught sight of something much deeper flickering in her luminescent chestnut orbs, but a second later it was gone, "if he could see it."

Obi-Wan thought about opening his mouth to ask her something else, but he thought against it and they stood in silence waiting outside to greet Qui-Gon, Talik, Padmé, and Jar Jar as they rode up on eopies, which were creatures native only to Tatooine. Sabé remembered them from the time of her assignment to the planet; they were very good at pulling around heavy loads.

Talik practically flew to her master, throwing her arms around her and hugging her fiercely. Obi-Wan was more impressed by Sabé's ability to not fall over from the force of the hug, and then a little wistful, because the way the pair acted sometimes, you would think that they were mother and daughter.

"I see you have everything we need, Master Jinn," Sabé said, nodding to the bulky package that was being pulled by a rider-less eopie. "I'll have it installed right away."

She squeezed Obi-Wan's upper arm lightly before she lifted the new hyperdrive into the air with hardly a blink, disappearing into the ship with Talik following closely behind and Padmé watching the display in fascination.

"I'm going back…some unfinished business," Qui-Gon said, drawing his attention away from the new hyperdrive. "I won't be long."

Obi-Wan's eye twitched slightly. "Why do I sense we've picked up another pathetic life form?"

"It's the boy who's responsible for getting those parts," Qui-Gon said, nodding in the direction that Sabé had left. "Get the hyperdrive generator installed."

"Yes, Master," Obi-Wan agreed, giving a small bob of the head. "It shouldn't take long."

He waited until he could no longer see Qui-Gon, and then he reentered the ship to assist his friend who it seemed was well underway with the replacing of the generator.

"I thought your sister's name was Padmé, though," Talik was saying as she eyed Padmé who sat watching silently, "she's not your sister."

"Kriff!" Sabé muttered as her hand slipped and banged against the machine. "Obi-Wan can you do me a favor and get this screw, I think it's stuck."

"No problem." Obi-Wan took her place as she shook out her hand.

"Talik, Padmé is a popular name on Naboo, just because she has the same name as my sister, doesn't mean that she is my sister," Sabé said carefully, for which Padmé seemed grateful, but Obi-Wan couldn't exactly tell why. He thought about reading her for a second, but the look on Sabé's face shut him down in an instant. Clearly there was something about the girl that she didn't want to talk about.

"Later, Obi-Wan," she warned, "focus on the present, where it is due."

The rebuke surprised him. She hardly ever pulled rank on him, and usually only when she was annoyed, making him wonder what he had done to annoy her in the first place.

* * *

Sabé almost fell over when the ship lifted off rather suddenly, but Talik bypassed her and tumbled gracelessly to the ground.

"What the-?"

"Cockpit!" Sabé barked. "Talik, strap yourself in!"

"Master!" Talik complained.

"Do as I say!" the Nabooan female ordered as she raced past her until she was in the cockpit. "What in the name of sanity is going on?!"

But no one had time to give her a response as the spacecraft hovered above the ground, near where the sand was being kicked up, not being able to hide the green and red blades as they flashed against one another.

Sabé founded her breath catching in her throat. She recognized those black Sith tattoos patterned across his red flesh with the upraised horns through his cranium. The mysterious Zabrak that had attacked her in her youth (not to say that she wasn't still young), the one that had cut her arm clean off.

_"Yours is the name of a child destined for darkness."_She remembered those words very clearly; it was almost as if they had spoken to her the day before. Though, she had to admit, those words had been plaguing her mind for years.

Qui-Gon leapt up and onto the landing, and the Zabrak's eyes met hers briefly, but long enough for her to feel a flare of pain across her arm where his lightsaber had cut across her flesh. Obi-Wan moved past her faster than she would have thought possible of the Stewjonan as the landing closed and the ship shot up and out of Tatooine.

"How long before we reach Coruscant?" she asked the captain, a kind man named Ric Olie who had been the pilot for the Queen of Naboo for a number of years now.

"It'll be a few hours yet," Ric said as she meandered herself until she was sitting in one of the empty seats, "you might want to get some rest before we land."

Sabé's lips twitched into a wry smile, but she didn't speak any words to him. Truth be told, she was far too much awake to get any rest. Besides, she had spent a good deal of this mission resting, much to her shame. "I'll be fine," she said.

"Suit yourself," Ric said agreeably with a shrug that she couldn't see and they both fell into a comfortable silence.

Sabé closed her eyes, falling into a deep meditative trance, though still keeping an awareness of her surroundings, not something one would typically do when meditating, but it was better to meditate than to do nothing, as her master had always said. When she finally opened her eyes, she was more than a little annoyed that only four hours had passed, leaving another five to go.

Feeling a need to stretch her legs, Sabé excused herself from the cockpit and made her way slowly down to one of the lower decks, one where private communications could be made. Sabé wasn't too surprised to see Arthree waiting there patiently for her.

"You're Sabé."

The Jedi Knight blinked her bright brown eyes to stare into the equally bright blue eyes of the child that must have been Anakin Skywalker. She could see what Talik had meant by his Force-presence being so bright.

"I am," she said, canting her head slightly in acknowledgment. "Did Talik tell you about me?"

To her surprise, he blushed a deep red to the roots of his blonde-brown hair. "Um…no-"

Arthree beeped a message to her, and she nodded.

"Connect us," she ordered to the astromech before placing a finger to her lips to Anakin as if to ask him to remain silent as she turned back to the monitor and pressed a few buttons until two blue holographic figures came to life.

"Masters," she said, giving a low bow to her superiors, "we are approaching Coruscant and will be on-planet within five hours."

"Very good, Knight Amidala," Mace Windu's voice wavered over their flimsy connection. "Your full report will be given upon your arrival."

"Of course, master," she said, inclining her head slightly before one hologram fizzled out, leaving her with just the image of Master Yoda.

"A great turbulence in the Force I felt," he said solemnly, "pleased I am that survived you did."

"Thank you, Master," she said calmly, though a smile crept onto her face. "I'll be seeing you soon."

And then the connection ended as quickly as it had begun, allowing Sabé's attention to return to the young boy from Tatooine.

"My apologies," she said smoothly, "that was rude of me."

Was it? Anakin blinked his wide eyes curiously at her as she gave him that motherly smile that he could remember so clearly. Anakin was far too used to crass attitudes to even register how some people might not take kindly to such tones. But clearly Sabé was a polite, serene creature; Talik wasn't much like her in that aspect. Anakin couldn't help but stare at her, even though he had seen her face a thousand times.

Her eyes were almost amber with a slight, delicate slant, her lips were curled into an ever-present smile, and her brown hair hung in plaited braids around her face. She was like an older version of Padmé. And then she moved and Anakin gasped as her mechanical arm caught the light.

"Sorry," he said quickly as she shifted her robe quickly to hide it, "I didn't mean to do that."

"Few do," Sabé hummed in agreement, an oddly calculating look in her eyes as she lowered herself to sit across from him on the floor. "Are you cold? Space travel is always the coldest the first time around."

"Padmé gave me this," Anakin said lifting the small blanket that rested over him, but before he had finished talking, Sabé had shook off her own cloak and thrown it over him.

"Wait!" he complained. "I can't take this! It's yours!"

"I'll live," Sabé said dryly, "worry not; death by cold is not something that will be my end."

She said those words with utter surety that Anakin couldn't help but wonder if she truly knew how she would die, and then she smiled brightly at him.

"I believe you were telling me about how you knew my name," she said in a voice that brooked no argument, and Anakin found himself stuttering out the guide that took him away from his nightmares. By the end of it, he was quite red in the face, but thankfully Sabé wasn't laughing. If anything, her face had grown more thoughtful.

The kind of dreams he had described were similar to her own, but in hers there was no one to save her from them, leaving her alone in her own darkness. She bit her lip slightly recalling that dark image of Darth Carina striking her down as if she was a simple padawan. She had had that nightmare many times, but only recently had she actually seen the Sith's face, and it had disturbed her.

Because she was more than certain that it had been her own face staring back.

"You are strong in the Force," she said, reminding herself internally to not get so sidetracked by her thoughts, "it does not surprise me that your dreams would reflect that."

Anakin's eyebrows furrowed slightly. "What's the Force?"

Sabé smiled, being in her element as a teacher to young ones. "The Force is an energy field that lives inside all living things. It binds us to the galaxy. Those who can utilize the Force to a higher degree are the Jedi."

"Like you," Anakin said.

"Like me," she agreed. "But the Force is not limited to just the Jedi, you understand, it exists inside the midi-chlorians of each and every living organism."

"And what are midi-chlorians?" Anakin asked, canting his head slightly to the side.

"Midi-chlorians are these tiny little life forms that live inside of us-"

"There are things living inside of me?" Anakin asked, dumbstruck.

Sabé forced herself to not laugh, as Anakin obviously didn't have much knowledge on the biology of the body. "Yes," she said instead, "the number of Midi-chlorians you have inside you is dependent on your strength in the Force."

"So the more you have, the stronger you are?" Anakin asked in interest.

"Perhaps from a certain viewpoint," Sabé conceded.

"Who has the most?" Anakin couldn't help but ask.

Sabé's lips twisted into a wry smile. "Up until a few days ago, I did."

The boy stared and her looking her up and down, but she couldn't fault him there. She didn't look like much more than a pretty face, her and Aayla both, but her use of the Force was unparalleled by anyone else her age, though she was nowhere near the skill level of her master or any of the masters on the Council.

"Get some rest, Ani," she said, using the nickname that he hadn't even told her, "its going to be a busy day."

Sabé had never been so relieved to see Coruscant than when she disembarked the ship five hours later with Talik on one side and Arthree on the other. All the traffic and the business made her heart swell, because this planet was home.

Senator Palpatine was speaking with her sister's decoy, but Sabé had never liked Palpatine much. On principle, Jedi didn't like politicians too much, but Sabé had one or two that she deemed good and fair.

"It is a great gift to see you alive, Your Majesty," Palpatine said with a respectful bow. "With the communications breakdown, we've become very concerned. I'm anxious to hear your report on the situation. May I present Supreme Chancellor Valorum?"

Sabé had a liking for the Chancellor as well. She had served under her for a time with Master Windu when there had been a threat to his life. They both shared opinions on politics and on Sabé's controversial view of the Order during that time; Sabé deemed him friendly enough and not power-hungry, given his position.

The Chancellor gave a low and polite bow to the (acting) Queen of Naboo. "Welcome, Your Highness. It's an honor to finally meet you in person."

"Thank you, Supreme Chancellor," Yané said regally, her voice holding little feeling.

"I must relay to you how distressed everyone is over the current situation," Chancellor Valorum continued, "I've called for a special session of the Senate to hear your position."

"I am grateful for your concern, Chancellor," the Queen said graciously as she was led to a waiting air taxi by Palpatine with her handmaidens following closely. Jar Jar and Anakin were among those that followed her and Talik gave her master a significant look.

_Shouldn't Anakin have come with us?_ She asked.

_Briefing the Council could take longer than we think,_ Sabé thought back, _and there are several things I must speak with Master Yoda about in private._

Talik thought she might tell her, but she was left only with that cryptic remark, much to her irritation.

"Knight Amidala," Chancellor Valorum said with a smile as he clasped her hand with both of his and kissed both of her cheeks as she did the same. "I am relieved to see that you are well."

"I am relieved to be well, Chancellor," Sabé quipped back lightly, "and to be on-planet once more."

His face was one of understanding, but their pleasantries were cut short by Qui-Gon, the infinite sourpuss.

"I must speak with the Jedi Council immediately," he said to Valorum. "The situation has become more complicated."

Valorum nodded seriously. "I understand. They were called into a session the moment they discovered your landing. They are waiting for you."

The four Jedi bowed to him before taking a second air taxi, only this one would be taking them to the Jedi Temple as opposed to the temporary lodgings of the planet-bound politicians.

"How much rest did you get?" Sabé asked her padawan lightly. "You look as though you witnessed the end of the universe." Which was to say, she looked terrible.

Talik sighed. "I just don't sleep well in space, Master, it's nothing, I'm sure I'll catch up on my sleep while we're here."

"I'm sure you will," Sabé said in slight amusement. She was sure that Talik had a very serious relationship with her bed, since she seemed hardly able to drag her from it in the morning, especially to do early meditation, something she hated with every fiber of her being.

"And Master Jinn tells me you need to work on controlling your temper," Sabé added, making Talik groan loudly. Sabé could feel a flicker of amusement coming from Obi-Wan where he sat in front of her, though his body gave no inclination of his humor.

"Don't worry," she continued, "Obi-Wan here was rather bad at anger management as well." She winked at the Twi'lek. "If I recall correctly, he was on his way to Agri-Corps when he finally managed to charm a master into taking him on."

"Wait a second, _charm_? How did I _charm _Qu-"

"Details, details," Sabé said evasively with a vague wave of her hand, making Talik giggle. "My point is, everyone has difficulty with controlling their anger, but it is still something that needs to be done for you to become a true Jedi." She smiled kindly. "Who knows, maybe one day you'll become far greater than me, if you can manage to let go of that anger you hold."

The one thing that Qui-Gon could marvel about the sister of the queen, was her ability to inspire and to teach. Perhaps Yoda was right about her abilities being best suited for both battle and teaching. It was a strange combination, and though she was very good at physical and mental defense and offense, he had always wondered if she would be one of those Jedi who chose to not pass on their teaching to the next generation.

He was glad that she had proven him wrong in that aspect, if nothing else.

**AN: Fuel you addiction, you lot, and review! Reviews are love and I need lots of love!**


	7. Light or Dark

**Disclaimer: George Lucas owns Star Wars**

**A Shift in the Force: Chapter Seven: Light or Dark**

**AN: So sorry it's taken me so long, but I have an AP Exam in two days and a seven page paper to write for next week, so it might be a while before I can update anymore of my fanfics, but you all have my apologies! Anyways, enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

The last of the evening light was fading before Sabé, Talik, Qui-Gon, and Obi-Wan found themselves standing before the Jedi Council. Talik had to refrain from yawning; that wouldn't go too well with the council. Her master looked a good bit worse, she had to admit, but Sabé still had to make up for the blood loss that she'd suffered, and thus came off a bit anemic, and it didn't help that had already been rather fair to begin with.

"After the Queen informed us of the situation," Sabé was saying, "we left immediately to hear of the Trade Federation's opinion on the matter, unfortunately, they saw fit to shoot us out of the sky not soon after liftoff." She glanced to Talik. "My padawan pulled me from the wreckage, my injuries," she grimaced slightly, "were substantial enough to put me out of commission for a few hours."

Sabé set her face firmly again. "A few hours after the crash, we met up with Master Jinn and his padawan before agreeing to rendezvous at the palace hanger bay, and the rest you should already know."

Ki-Adi Mundi inclined his head slightly, and a number of the masters shared a look that Sabé couldn't read.

"Please excuse my apprentice and I," she said, bowing lowly and respectfully. "It has been a long few days and my apprentice and I are in need of some rest." And without waiting to be dismissed, Sabé steered Talik from the room, allowing the door to close behind them.

"There is something that she is not telling us," Ki-Adi Mundi said mere seconds after her departure.

"Sabé Amidala is always hiding something," Pablo-Jill said in disdain, "it is not a trait becoming of a Jedi." Obi-Wan ground his teeth together behind his lips, schooling his features and locking down his mental shields. He had seen how Master Jill's eyes had flashed to him, but he would not give him the satisfaction of knowing that he had angered him with his insults towards his friend.

Yoda maintained his silence, knowing that he would be going to have a long chat with the young woman who had once trained under him.

"I believe that it concerned the next matter we must speak of," Qui-Gon said, bowing stiffly. "During our departure from Tatooine, I was intercepted by a Zabrak male. He was trained in the Jedi arts. My only conclusion can be that it was a Sith Lord."

The was not something any of the council would have wanted to admit in the first place, and Ki-Adi Mundi was the first member to speak what they were all thinking.

"Impossible!" He said. "The Sith have been extinct for a millennium."

Even Mace Windu had to add, "I do not believe the Sith could have returned without us knowing."

But that comment was this time refuted by Grandmaster Yoda himself. "Ah, hard to see, the dark side is."

Mace glanced to the green master before saying, "We will use all our resources here to unravel this mystery and discover the identity of your attacker... May the Force be with you."

Obi-Wan bowed respectfully before turning to leave, only to stop when Yoda spoke, drawing his attention to Qui-Gon

"Master Qui-Gon more to say have you?"

Qui-Gon ruffled the sleeves of his cloak as he crossed his arms, hiding them from view. "With your permission, my Master," he said calmly, "I have encountered a vergence in the Force."

"A vergence, you say?" Yoda said

"Located around a person?" Master Windu asked. That news was startling. Only one person had ever been reported to have had a vergence located around them, and she had just left. She was also what Master Plo Koon had described as a Miracle Child, meaning that she shouldn't have been born, but she was. Could the same be said for this child as well?

Qui-Gon nodded in agreement with his question. "A boy... his cells have the highest concentration of midi-chlorians I have ever seen in a life form. It is possible he was conceived by the midi-chlorians."

A number of the members of the Council shared glances, hardly daring to believe that what Qui-Gon was saying could be possible. They already had one miracle in their midst, was it wise to add another?

"You're referring to the prophecy of the one who will bring balance to the Force... you believe it's this boy?" Mace asked with curiosity.

Qui-Gon didn't want to put all his faith in the boy, but the signs were all there. "I don't presume," he began but was rudely interrupted by Master Yoda.

"But you do!" the Jedi Master disagreed. "Revealed your opinion is."

"I request the boy be tested, Master," Qui-Gon said courteously.

"Trained as a Jedi, you request for him?" Yoda asked.

Qui-Gon nodded. "Finding him was the will of the Force... I have no doubt of that," he agreed.

Obi-Wan watched with interest as the Jedi on the Council shared looks with each other, each of the twelve meeting the eyes of the others, and as one they nodded their consent.

And then Mace Windu said, "Bring him before us. We will reconvene tomorrow morning for the testing of the boy."

Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon bowed to the Council before leaving as quietly as they had entered. Obi-Wan wasn't sure how he felt about the boy. He hadn't spent much time with him, but he didn't think that Qui-Gon should be so quick to believe that he was the Chosen One.

"You're projecting," a familiar voice commented.

Obi-Wan turned to see the recently knighted Kit Fisto. The green Nautolan had fallen into step beside him. "Obi-Wan," he added in greeting.

"Kit," Obi-Wan said in a little relief that it hadn't been his master that had caught him, but as he glanced ahead, he noted that his master was so wrapped in his own thoughts that he hadn't even noticed how far behind Obi-Wan had fallen. "Where's Aayla?" He had hardly ever seen Sabé, Aayla, or Kit without at least one of the other two, unless they were on missions.

"Aayla's helping with a 'saber class, and I was just thinking about visiting Sabé…but she's asleep so it would probably be best if I didn't," he admitted.

"She's had a rough few days," Obi-Wan said, sounding a bit tired himself. "She had some serious injuries from being shot out of the sky, but they must be almost healed by now."

Kit nodded and for a long moment, he didn't speak. "I sense that she isn't in pain," he said finally, sighing in relief, "that is good. She isn't very good about caring about the damages to her own body."

Obi-Wan could attest to that. "You should have seen her on the Naboo ship," he said wryly.

"Was she insufferable?" Kit asked with a grin. "Did you have to tie her to a medical bed?"

"I tried," Obi-Wan admitted, "it didn't work for long."

He laughed out loud. "Yes, that I would expect. I will bring Aayla with me to see her tomorrow when she is more aware of the world."

"That would probably be better," Obi-Wan agreed.

"How was Mandalore?"

Obi-Wan shoulders filled with miniscule tension, but Kit merely smiled.

"If you do not want others to know the nature of your heart, perhaps you should shield it as harshly as Sabé does," he said.

"What do you mean?" Obi-Wan asked him in confusion.

"Did Jill say anything about her in the meeting?" he asked instead.

"Yes," Obi-Wan said, furrowing his eyebrows slightly, "it was something about her having too many secrets."

"Sabé doesn't have many secrets, that's where Jill got it wrong," Kit said, glancing out into the night. "She only has one, and it is one that she will sooner take to the grave than admit it to anyone."

"Why is that?" Obi-Wan asked.

But Kit knew where to draw the line with his words. "I suppose that is for her to know and you to discover."

Kit and Aayla had only happened upon Sabé's affection for the Stewjonan by complete accident, but they had yet to see how her love for him affect her ability to do her job, cementing Sabé's belief that one could love and be a Jedi at the same time. It was hard to believe that she felt more than romantic feelings for Obi-Wan Kenobi, because you wouldn't have been able to tell at all, and it helped that she treated everyone the same with that serenity that suited her better than any other attitude she could have ever adopted.

She was good at hiding her secret, and good at hiding in general. That was why she went on a lot of solo undercover missions (as Talik couldn't go on those kinds of delicate missions yet), her ability to lie was a bit startling, and many didn't view that as a good thing, but it wasn't like she liked lying.

* * *

"I heard from Obi-Wan you were injured," Kit commented lightly the next day over breakfast, which he and Aayla had gate-crashed without as much as an apology.

"You need to tell better lies," Sabé admonished as she poured some Muja into Talik's cup. "And you need to stop reading me when I'm asleep."

"Maybe he wouldn't have to if you came and told us how you were once in a while," Aayla reminded her.

"How is this my fault?" Sabé asked with an arched eyebrow. "I'm not the one in charge of mission assignments."

Talik watched the banter of the three friends as they went back and forth. They were like a strange little family, a bit dysfunctional, but a family nonetheless.

"Maybe I wouldn't have to," Kit added, speaking for himself, "if you weren't so suicidal all the time."

"I am not suicidal!" she hissed in annoyance. "Would you stop saying that?!"

Aayla rolled her eyes at Talik who giggled at the exchange. It was one of many that she had heard concerning her master's nature of protecting others before herself. Her friends considered it a dangerous trait, but Talik thought it was something she would like to grow to have, good or bad.

Sabé checked the clock and sighed. "I have to escort Anakin to the Council in five minutes."

Talik looked up in surprise. "Really? Are they going to let him into the Temple?"

Amusement flickered in Sabé's eyes. "Well," she said in a contemplative voice, "I would think they have to, seeing as the Council Chamber is located in the Temple."

Talik rolled her light eyes, twiddling her fork in her hand as she did so. "You know what I mean, Master," she said with a flicker of irritation that all three of the friends caught easily enough.

"I do not know," she said finally, "the Council will be the one to make the final decision, not I." She rubbed a circle suddenly into the side of her right temple at a flash of an emotion that was too jumbled for her to understand.

"Sabé?" Aayla's concerned voice caught her attention and she lifted her gaze to meet the blue-skinned Twi-lek's. "Are you alright?"

Sabé smiled in that way that she always did. "Its nothing," she said, but a niggling feeling in the back of her mind told her that it wasn't. She pushed that feeling aside; she did not have time for it. "Make sure Talik does her meditation, will you?"

"Master!" Talik's complaining voice was the last thing she heard as she threw on her dark cloak and exited the apartment, giving a small sigh of relief as the probing feeling that had sought her mental shields left as quickly as it had come, but it still left her with unease as she searched for her sister's temporary apartment in which Anakin had stayed the previous night.

She was almost surprised to see that Queen Amidala was actually her sister this time around.

"My sister," Padmé said in the solemn and serious voice that only one who knew the fate of her planet hung in the balance, "I see you have come for young Skywalker."

Sabé gave a low and respectful bow. "I have. I hope I am not intruding on any matter of importance."

But she could sense that she was, because Senator Palpatine was with her.

Padmé merely gave her a small smile as they clasped hands. It was starting to become routine now, and Sabé was certain that Padmé would have hugged her if not for the heavy headdress, bulky gown, and face paint. Sabé could feel all of the emotions raging within her sibling –fear, anger, anxiety (Padmé would have never made it as a Jedi, that much she was sure of) - and she sent a warm soothing serenity to her, and Padmé smiled.

"I realize this might be the last time we see each other for a good while," Padmé said, her words abrupt.

Sabé smiled kindly. "The Force works in mysterious ways, dear sister, I do not believe you have seen the last of me."

She felt her relief before it became locked down as Anakin reappeared, looking paler than usual.

"Ready to go?" Sabé asked with that serene smile of hers, making Padmé realize that it wasn't too hard to imagine her as a loving mother.

"Um, yeah, I mean, yes," Anakin stuttered quickly, but he took her hand when she offered it.

It was only when they were in the air taxi that Sabé spoke again. "Scared?"

"A-a little," Anakin admitted, tapping his feet nervously against the floor. "What if I don't do good?"

That was the question that Sabé was dreading answering, because, truthfully, she had no idea. She knew what the test entailed, every Initiate had had to take it once, but Sabé had to take it at least twelve times in her youth because the Council was trying to see if there was a limit to what she could sense. Sabé wasn't quite sure if they had really discovered a limitation; the Council was intensely private.

"I may seem all-seeing and all-knowing, Anakin," she joked, "but I don't know what will happen or what the Council will decide."

"Oh," he said quietly as they made their way into the Temple. "Do you remember what tests they do?"

"They'll probably just hold a screen and ask you what's on it, since you won't be able to see it," she said before stumbling and falling to her knees, the stinging to her head returning much more forcefully than before.

"Miss Sabé?" Anakin asked in concern, shaking her shoulder. "Miss Sabé, what's wrong?"

"Its nothing," she said through a grimace, "I'm fine." But she wasn't, she could feel it.

"Sabé?" She could feel more than hear Obi-Wan as he approached, his fingers holding up her head. "What happened?"

"My head," Sabé groaned, "I don't-" she hissed.

"Anakin," Obi-Wan said, turning to the concerned nine year old, "go on to the Council, I'll take care of Sabé."

"You sure?" he asked, but then his eyes met Obi-Wan's, and he wasn't sure what he saw in the man's hazel eyes, but it was…familiarity, like a sort of connection that is built up over a long period of time. It sounded exactly like what Talik had described when she first met Sabé. That Master-Padawan connection. "You're sure, okay."

He glanced back to the pair, noticing how gently Obi-Wan held Sabé's face as he questioned her softly. It was sweet in an amost-romancy sort of way. And then he gulped and did as he said.

"What happened?" Obi-Wan asked her as Anakin left. "Why did you just collapse?"

Sabé furrowed her forehead with her eyes still closed, the stinging pain fading now. "It's just a headache, I'm fine."

"You're not fine," Obi-Wan disagreed, pulling her upright and looping her arm over his shoulder. "Come on, you're going to see Bant."

"What?" asked Sabé, still a bit out of it.

"Yeah," Obi-Wan muttered, leading her toward the medical ward, "you're definitely seeing Bant."

So, not ten minutes later Sabé was lying on a medical bed in a forced Force trance as Bant Eerin placed her webbed hands on either side of her patient's head, closing her eyes in concentration.

"You said she just fell to the ground?" she asked.

Obi-Wan nodded. "Yeah, she was clutching her head, she said it was just a headache, but-"

"Whatever it was, it was not a headache," Bant interrupted.

"Did you find something?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Sabé's always been very careful about her thoughts, I'm sure you can remember how she was when we were kids," Bant added the last bit.

"Yeah," Obi-Wan grinned slightly. "She was sweet." Sabé had been painfully shy until she had become friends with Aayla and Kit, Obi-Wan still remembered how red her face had turned when he had helped her pick up some data pads that he had dropped. But once she had come out of her shell she had adopted that serene personality that had become practically signature for her.

"She still is, just…more cautious," Bant amended, "She likes to keep things private."

"What does her private nature have to do with her head?"

"Sabé has been shielding her mind since…forever," Bant said with a shrug, "probably since she learned how to shield her mind, but that shield has some cracks in it now."

"Cracks?" Obi-Wan said in complete surprise. "How is that possible?"

"If I was to hazard a guess," Bant said, her eyes dark, "then I would say that someone was trying to break into her mind…and it doesn't look like they succeeded."

"Is she going to be alright, then?" Obi-Wan asked in concern, glancing to his slumbering friend. "It won't cause permanent damage will it?"

"No," Bant said with a relieved sigh, "at least, not this time. The cracks should fade as she continues to sleep. She'll be fine."

* * *

Sabé was running, running faster than would have ever done, her muscles burning with exertion and then the sting of the blaster bolts as they shot through her, sending her jolting awake.

Sabé's eyes flashed open and she shot upwards so that her torso was perpendicular to the bed. Her heart beat wildly in her chest as she looked around wildly as if hoping to find the person who had shot her before mentally reminding herself that she actually hadn't been shot.

The lightness of her room made her blink. Her room had darker colors than white, that much she knew. And then she realized that she was in the medical ward as Obi-Wan's friend Bant Eerin approached her.

Naturally the first thing out of her mouth was: "Where are my clothes?" as her Jedi wear had been replaced by a medical gown once more, much to her eternal annoyance. She had a very strong aversion to the medical ward without them throwing in the gown to spite her.

Bant tried hard to not smirk, but Sabé made it too easy with her expression of discomfort. "In the bathroom. Do you need any help to get there?"

A scowl marred Sabé's face, but she closed her eyes and allowed the Force to wash over her and tell her of her injuries. "I'll manage." She paused briefly before giving the healer a polite thank you.

It was only when she returned fully garbed once more that she wagered she was in a bit of trouble, because Bant's presence had vanished only to be replaced with Master Yoda's.

She froze, not quite sure what to say to him, but, thankfully (or maybe not) he spoke first as she reluctantly sat down on the medical bed once more.

"Surprised to find you here, I am," he said.

Sabé gave an audible groan as she scrubbed her hands over her eyes.

The small and green Master chuckled lightly at her reaction. "Told I have been of your condition," he said, "worried your apprentice has been."

"That sounds like her," Sabé said under her breath before sighing. "Are you here about my attitude towards the Council? I apologize; I've just had a rough time sleeping the past few days."

"Understand I do," Yoda said, nodding his head slightly. "Here to speak with you about them, I am."

"You are?" Sabé said with a wince. "I-"

"Wish to speak of it not, but wish to hear I do," Yoda insisted.

Sabé gave another sigh at that. "Its nothing," she said, "they were just some nightmares, nothing to worry about."

"But worry you do," Yoda added, hobbling forward so the distance between former master and apprentice wasn't quite so pronounced. "Sense it I do."

"_I am Darth Carina, but my name matters little. Because you will be dead before you can even speak it."_

"Master," she said carefully, "do you ever think I could go dark?"

She could see that her question had startled him, but she did desire to know the answer.

"A strange question," he mused, "worried are you?"

"A bit," she admitted, "I had a horrible nightmare-"

"Worse than usual?"

"Well," Sabé faltered slightly, "I'm not sure yet, but it was pretty bad…I was here, in the Temple, I mean, but it was wrong, it was all wrong…" She remembered the cut down bodies that littered the Temple and she hid her face in her hands feeling the tears in her eyes. The first time she'd seen the image she'd been sickened, but now she was just sad about the whole thing, whether it was real or not, because the loss of innocent life just tore at her like nothing else. "There were bodies everywhere," she said, her voice barely above a whisper, and I found this woman with two red lightsabers, and she had my face…" She looked up, her desperate eyes making contact with Yoda's. "Is that just my mind playing tricks on me?"

Yoda stayed silent for a long moment.

"Think you are capable of cold-blooded murder do you?" Yoda finally inquired.

"No!" Sabé said, suddenly defensive, "I mean, I hope not."

Yoda gave her an aged smile. "Make us who we are, our choices do. Choose light over dark you will, if given the choice you are. Good, you are, evil you are not."

And this time Sabé believed him without a second thought, but the dream (nightmare, she reminded herself) still kept her ill at ease. Could it really be real? Could her future really be Darth Carina?

**AN: Something for you all to sit on! Sadly, that's the only bit of the (possible) future that Sabé will be seeing, but it is enough to freak her out. Next chapter Sabé will be doing something she does not approve of… until then, you all sit tight! AND REVIEW!**


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